'Dolittle’s' terrible ending was apparently Robert Downey Jr’s idea

WARNING: There are SPOILERS ahead for Dolittle.

So if you’re yet to see Robert Downey Jr talk to the animals, or hear his attempt at a Welsh accent, then you should proceed cautiously.

Dolittle will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest movie disasters of the year.

Read more: Dolittle is getting panned

Not just because of the terrible reviews that immediately greeted its release, or because it is set to lose Universal anywhere between $50 million and $100 million. No, Dolittle will forever be remembered because of its utterly bizarre conclusion, which saw the titular character saving the life of a dragon by pulling various obstacles out of her behind.

A new piece from The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that this ending was apparently Robert Downey Jr’s idea, with the Oscar nominated actor repeatedly coming up with new ideas for the film throughout its extensive reshoots.

Originally written and directed by the Oscar winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, it has now been alleged that it was Downey and his wife Susan, who was a producer on the film, “that primarily held creative control.”

After the first edit for the film left those involved underwhelmed, the likes of Seth Rogen, Chris McKay, and Jonathan Liebesman were brought on to reshape Dolittle. This included reworking the conclusion, which was set to be very different, up until “Downey charted a path for a new direction.”

Read More: Robert Downey Jr's first post-Avengers movie 'Dolittle' is getting panned

The report insists, “It was the actor-producer who came up with the idea of the dragon colonoscopy/enema moment at the last minute.”

Ahead of its release, Universal had actually hoped that Dolittle might be the start of a new family franchise for the studio. However its disastrous performance at the box office means that this will almost certainly be the final time that we see Downey as Dolittle, which might not be a bad thing.