Billy Bob Thornton and Vincent D'onofrio join 'The Judge' with Robert Downey Jr.

Now that the months of courting Jack Nicholson are over, and Robert Duvall has been signed to play Robert Downey Jr.'s father in The Judge, casting is speeding along nicely for the David Dobkin-directed film. A couple of days ago, Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Vincent D'onofrio came aboard, and now Variety reports Billy Bob Thornton is next in line.

This would be a re-teaming of Thornton and Duvall, who worked together on the former's directorial debut, Jayne Mansfield's Car. The Judge is based on an original script by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino), and has Downey as a high-powered lawyer who returns home after the death of his mother, only to find out that his estranged father, the local judge, is a suspect. While attempting to clear his father's name, he reconnects with the family he walked away from. Thornton would play the prosecutor trying Duvall's case, while D'onofrio is Downey's older brother.

While the film sounds potentially heavy, Dobkin's involvement suggests otherwise. He's best known for directing Wedding Crashers, and last helmed The Change-Up with Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds.