Robert Downey Jr has plans to help Ben Stiller win an Oscar. Not only are they going to work together again, but they’re going to continue on the long road down bad taste, following Tropic Thunder, and make a movie about conjoined twins.

He told BANG Showbiz: “There is a story about some famous conjoined twins – I don’t remember their names but that’s irrelevant anyway – and I’m going to direct Ben in that film. Ben will play both twins. It’s going to be kind of like ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, except with two buttons.

“He got me to score in the comedy department and I am determined to help him win two Oscars for playing the same part. And we will get picketed by the Siamese twins organisation, which will draw more attention to the cause.”

Robert is also planning to give himself an unusual starring role in the film.

He quipped: “I am also going to make a cameo as a Siamese cat. I want Ben to win one Oscar for a dramatic role and another for his role in a musical or comedy because one of the conjoined twins likes to tap out the words and dance a little bit!”

M & C

I’m pretty sure Downey is joking about this, particularly since Matt Damon has already made a film about conjoined twins, one that he probably wishes he could bury in the vaults of Hollywood. If not, I think the twins he is talking about is Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in Siam and traveled around in a circus/freak show, and that is where the term ‘Siamese Twins’ actually comes from. It’s not at all related to the cats, so if Downey’s reading this he might just have learnt something new.

Actually, checking out this Wiki article about the twins, this film could be a smorgasbord of politically incorrect humor – the twins, following the end of their contract, went on to build a plantation and hire slaves, where they married another set of twins. They had 21 children between them.

Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr. are shown at a photocall for Tropic Thunder at the San Sebastian Film Festival on 9/21/08. Credit: WENN