It feels like Robert Downey Jr. has pretty much done it all at this point in his career. He’s starred in critically acclaimed movies, played a big-screen superhero and even gone viral on social media on a few occasions. The Oscar-nominated actor is now kicking off a new professional venture: a renovation series. Downey’s Dream Cars, which will be streamable with a Max subscription, is a passion project for its titular star, and he’s excited for its premiere. Coincidentally, the show comes on the heels of another fix-it show headed up by fellow Avengers alum Jeremy Renner. Downey recently addressed the irony there by providing some humorously on-brand thoughts.
Jeremy Renner saw the premiere of Rennervations (an offering for Disney+ subscription holders) this past April. While the approach is somewhat similar to that of Robert Downey Jr.s’ program, they are incredibly similar. The key parallel is both shows’ strong emphasis on motor vehicles. Downey was speaking with THR when he was asked about him and Renner having almost identical shows available around the same time. The always witty 58-year-old actor was positive when discussing his position and made a hilarious offer to his longtime Marvel co-star:
I think it’s so wild that he and I have both had these kind of departures from our day job together. We will have to compare notes. And like we always say, and I will say to Jeremy again, ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.’
One would wager that more than a few people have heard (or said) that last line at some point in their lives. Though in those cases, the context was probably wildly different from what we’re talking about here. But the cheeky assertion aside, it’s sweet to hear that the Sherlock Holmes actor is giddy over the notion of both him and his colleague trying new things from a professional standpoint. These career moves seem very organic for them, especially since both possess the skills and personalities for such productions.
Rennervations is a four-part series that involves the Hurt Locker star traveling to different places over the world and re-imagining unique purpose-built vehicles to help communities. During his trips, the Academy Award nominee is accompanied by a special guest, as Anthony Mackie and Vanessa Hudgens are among those to accompany him. The release of the well-received series proved to be incredibly poignant, as it came only months after its star was seriously injured in a snowplow accident. He still took time to hype up the show amid his recovery, though.
Robert Downey Jr.’s docuseries follows him as he seeks to update six automobiles from his personal collection into cars that are environmentally efficient. As was explained to The Hollywood Reporter, the star got the idea after having an epiphany. Because he owns so many gas-dependent cars and is the founder of a tech company seeking to combat climate change, he and wife Susan Downey saw that the two things didn’t “reconcile.” With that, he started on this new vehicular journey and thought it would be entertaining for the masses to see.
It’d certainly be interesting if Jeremy Renner and Robert Downey Jr. did get together to exchange ideas about their shows. I’m sure both could help the other out when it comes to the behind-the-scenes logistics. So I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope Renner does show Downey his so that he’ll return the favor.
Catch all four episodes of Rennervations on Disney+ now, and stream Downey’s Dream Cars when it debuts on June 22. Both titles are among the most notable entries on the 2023 TV schedule.