The end of a fade for Black

"There's a point at which something [you're writing] becomes more interesting than your own fear," Black said. "[Writing] is the magic antidepressant."

Within a year, the script was complete.

Reviving a connection

Black walked back into a changed Hollywood.

The Silver-produced "Matrix" series and the "Lord of the Rings" franchise were the trends du jour, but even more than that, the buzz that once surrounded Black was largely gone. He shopped the script to several studios, but no one bit -- that is, until his old pal Silver, with whom he'd had differences but kept in touch, read it.

"I loved every page of it," said the producer, who came onboard. A yearlong search for stars followed, but the actors it yielded hardly looked ideal. Downey's substance-abuse problems have been well documented, and Kilmer had that amorphous label of "difficult" trailing him through Hollywood.

"I had to actually get down on my knees to Joel with that one and say, 'Please, buddy ... let's just see if they're different this time,' " said Black. (For the record, working with the two was "wonderful," he said.)

By 2004, the team was good to go. They made the film for a tight $15 million, and Black saved money by using his own house as the location for the picture's extensive party scene. Warner Bros. plans to release "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" this fall.

Today, Black's block appears to be over. Both he and Silver mention a "sexy horror" picture that Black is interested in writing and directing, and "The Nice Guys," a TV comedy Black has been developing with Bagarozzi, with Silver to produce.

In the end, watching "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" itself may be the best way to gauge the changes that Black has been through in the intervening years.

Centering on a con man (Downey) masquerading as a private eye, his P.I. mentor (Kilmer) and a lovable and only superficially cynical actress named Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), it tells the story of three fairly ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary, detective-story circumstances.

Certain classic Black elements are there -- the witty, culturally-of-the-minute dialogue; the gratuitous car crash or two -- but there's also an unexpected twist to the male characters. Downey and Kilmer's men have a new humanity and vulnerability, and also a sense of humor about themselves. When, in one surprising scene, their characters kiss (Kilmer's character is grappling with his sexuality), it's as though they're accepting not only each other but also themselves.