'Aladdin' writer to pen Robert Downey Jr's next

Los Angeles: 'Aladdin' scribe Terry Rossio has been roped in to pen the film based on unfinished notes developed by Hollywood star Steve McQueen before his death, which will star Robert Downey Jr.

'Yucatan' is described as an 'epic adventure heist' film. It is based on a 1700-page treatment written by the iconic in the late 160s, reported Deadline.

McQueen's detailed template for the movie was found in two leather-bound trunks after his death. His vision involved a renegade salvage expert's search for Mayan treasure in the Yucatan Peninsula in Southern Mexico.

"To imbue a McQueen project with a sense of how he might have made it nowadays is a challenge and a thrill. Rossio is more than a great writer, he's the perfect fit to embrace the existential nature of the project with the action, story and characters that drive 'Yucatan'," Downey, 49, said in a statement.

The updated plot is under wraps, but Rossio and Downey Jr are using the original premise as a jumping-off point for a mind-bending adventure story. Downey Jr's wife Susan Downey is producing with him and David Gambino, along with Dan Lin from Lin Pictures.