The Shaggy Dog: According to Variety, Walt Disney Pictures has set Robert Downey Jr. to join Tim Allen in The Shaggy Dog, the Brian Robbins-directed comic remake about a man who occasionally changes into a sheepdog.

Downey will play a yuppie entrepreneur who is using dogs to experiment with the miracle drug he hopes will give seven years to every human year. Danny Glover and Kristin Davis also star.

Mandeville's David Hoberman and Allen produce the remake of the 1959 film. Todd Lieberman, Matt Carroll, Robert Simonds and William Fay are exec producers.

Filming began November 15th, and Downey took the role partly because it will shoot in Los Angeles and give him time to promote the release of his album of original songs, The Futurist.

Downey begins work right after Thanksgiving. He just completed the Richard Linklater-directed A Scanner Darkly and the Shane Black-directed Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang.