Robert Downey Jr. David Fincher's mystery thriller "Zodiac", which was based on a true story. He played the role of "San Francisco Chronicle" journalist Paul Avery, who was reporting the Zodiac Killer case. With all of the critical success Downey had experienced throughout his career, he had not appeared in a "blockbuster" film. That changed in 2008, when Downey starred in two critically and commercially successful films, "Iron Man" and "Tropic Thunder". In the article Ben Stiller wrote for Downey's entry in the 2008 edition of "The Time 100", he offered an observation on Downey's commercially successful summer at the box office: In
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2008 and "I've Loved You So Long" • France/Germany Runners-Up: "Doubt" – John Patrick Shanley and "Frost/Nixon" – Peter Morgan Runners-Up: Josh Brolin – "Milk", Robert Downey Jr. – "Tropic Thunder" and Philip Seymour Hoffman – "Doubt" Runners-Up: Penélope Cruz – "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and Viola Davis – "Doubt" Runners-Up: "Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans fusil)" and "Up the Yangtze" Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2008 The 12th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 2008, were given on December 17, 2008. Runners-Up: Sean Penn – "Milk" and Jean-Claude Van Damme – "JCVD"