Matthew Rhys to Play Perry Mason in HBO Drama, Replacing Robert Downey Jr.

Matthew Rhys has landed the role of legendary fictional character Perry Mason in a new limited series for HBO!

Per The Wrap, the logline of the series is as follows: 1932, Los Angeles. While the rest of the country recovers from the Great Depression, this city is booming! Oil! Olympic Games! Talking Pictures! Evangelical Fervor! And a child kidnapping gone very, very wrong! Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner, this limited series follows the origins of American Fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer, Perry Mason. When the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.

Robert Downey, Jr. was originally attached to star in the role but will now executive produce instead.

The character of Perry Mason was created by Erle Stanley Gardner and used to be a TV series in the 1950s and 1960s.