Farmiga Waits On RDJ In "The Judge"

Fresh off her stellar turn as Norma Bates in the premiere of the Psycho prequel TV series Bates Motel star Vera Farmiga, has landed the female lead in the dramedy "The Judge" says THR.

The initial script by Nick Schenk that Bill Dubuque rewrote sees Robert Downey Jr star as a big-city lawyer who returns home after the death of his mother to learn that his estranged father (Robert Duvall), a judge, is suspected of murder. He sets out to discover the truth and along the way reconnects with the family he walked away from years before.

Farmiga will play a waitress in the hometown, portraying a woman who never left the small-town life and who has a history with Downey’s character.

Vincent D'Onofrio will play RDJ's elder brother.

David Dobkin directs the film.

Downey Jr. is producing with wife Susan Downey, Dobkin, David Gambino, and Jeff Kleeman.

Production is hoped to start in Boston at the beginning of June.

Warner Bros. wanted Jack Nicholson for for the dad role but the picky actor ultimately passed.