Robert Downey Jr. to star in new Broadway play 'McNeal' this fall

The Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer and Iron Man actor will make his Broadway debut in Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar’s show beginning in September.

Robert Downey Jr. will make his Broadway debut in McNeal, a new play premiering this fall at Lincoln Center Theater's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Performances run from September 5 to November 24, and opening night is September 30.

Downey is best known for his screen roles as Lewis Strauss in the 2023 film Oppenheimer, which won him the 2024 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Iron Man/Tony Stark, a role he played in various films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe across 10 years.

Now, he will star as the fictional Jacob McNeal, an excellent writer who's regularly up for a Nobel Prize in Literature. The play follows how his new novel, his estranged son, and his obsession with artificial intelligence impact his illustrious career.

The play is written by Ayad Akhtar, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Disgraced, and directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, whose past productions at Lincoln Center include My Fair Lady, South Pacific, and spring 2024's Corruption.

McNeal will have sets by Michael Yeargan and Jake Barton, costumes by Jennifer Moeller, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Justin Ellington & Beth Lake, and projections by Jake Barton. The show is a co-production of Lincoln Center Theater and Downey's production company, Team Downey.

Additional casting has yet to be announced.

Check back for information on McNeal tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Photo credit: Robert Downey Jr. (Photo courtesy of production)