Guy Ritchie Talks Sherlock Holmes
Source: USA Today
August 22, 2008
writer/director Guy Ritchie talked to USA Today about his upcoming Sherlock Holmes, to star Robert Downey Jr. Based on Lionel Wigram's comic book, the new Holmes is expected to be more adventuresome and will take advantage of his skills as a boxer and swordsman.
"It will be a very big production, visceral and intellectual," Ritchie said. "His brilliance will percolate into the action."
The 2010 Warner Bros. release will be set in the olden days, he says, but the emphasis will be as much on Holmes' physical prowess as it is on his keen powers of deduction.
"His intellect was as much of a curse as it was a blessing," Ritchie added. "He was a deeply layered character."
There's word on the villain yet, but there will be a love interest based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Irene Adler. Casting is expected to be finished in six or so weeks
Oooooo... I can't wait. I wonder if Moriarty will be in it...
I am a big Holmes fan. I'm a member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London so for me this is pretty big. I'm so excited about this. Any new offering of Sherlock Holmes is always welcome. Moriarty should be there, and i do hope that they keep the feel of Holmes. Victorian England was exciting for many good and many bad reasons, and if it keeps the Victorian feel then this will be amazing.
I won't mind seeing a Sherlock Holmes film. It's been years since I've seen one.
My excellent avata (character portrait) that Jen painted is actually Sherlock Holmes. Its based on Jeremy brett who inmy opinion is the best Holmes EVER!!!
Mark Strong Cast in Sherlock Holmes
Source: Edward Douglas
September 4, 2008
ComingSoon.net just finished speaking with filmmaker Guy Ritchie about his upcoming crime-comedy RocknRolla, which premieres tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival. During our interview, Ritchie let slip that he just cast Mark Strong, one of the breakout stars of the movie, in his next project, a reinvention of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role.
Mark Strong's name might not be that familiar to Americans, but in England, Strong is a go-to actor who has appeared in dozens of films and award-winning television shows like "Prime Suspect" and he appears in a number of high-profile movies this fall.
The same week Strong appears in Ritchie's movie, he also co-stars in Ridley Scott's political thriller Body of Lies in a role that allows him to steal more than a few scenes from under Leonard DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and he also plays a German SS officer in the upcoming drama Good, three roles that are so different you're not likely to realize they're the same actor. (He also appears in the new Vin Diesel sci-fi action flick Babylon A.D. apparently, which is probably different from those other three roles..)
We didn't find out who this thespian chameleon will be playing in the movie--it's not Mr. Watson, so let's get that out of the way, since Ritchie says he and producer Joel Silver are still on the "Watson hunt"--but it's probably a good thing Ritchie cast Strong now because we have a feeling that the actor is on the rise and that he'll be able to raise his rates by year's end.
Earlier in the day, Ritchie mentioned in a press conference that he hasn't really thought about Sherlock Holmes becoming a franchise because he's so busy trying to make sure the first movie is good. "My job is to make what I deem to be a highly-entertaining contemporary and fresh feel to what is essentially an old and iconic character," he said. While the movie isn't based on any specific story from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he says that it's an amalgamation of a number of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, and he promises that he has some really "high falootin'" ideas for the movie's big action scenes now that he has the budget to pull them off.
Excellent!! This sounds pretty cool and I should tell my Dad because he is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.
Mark Strong, hmmm a serious contender for the role of Moriarty. I heard that Russel Crowe may be in line for the role of Watson, god that would be crap.
I'm surprised they let Guy Ritchie have this project. His last two movies have pretty much bombed and he's known for guns and gangsters. I think they should employ someone with a little larger CV.
Yeah blimey he has really loxt the plot, swept away then revolver were just terrible, and i'm not sure about rock n rolla.
Russell Crowe Not The Nemesis Of Sherlock Holmes
By Josh Tyler: 2008-09-09 00:23:49
Russell Crowe Not The Nemesis Of Sherlock Holmes You've heard the rumors that Russell Crowe will be in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movie. First the rumormill said he'll be Watson, now everyone's claiming he'll be the movie's main villain, Moriarty. Well none of that is true. If Crowe is playing Moriarty, he won't be a major part of the film, let alone the primary villain.
Our friends over at Moviehole caught actor Mark Strong, recently confirmed as part of the movie's cast, on UK radio talking about the project. Strong revealed that he is playing the movie's main villain, a character named Lord Blackwood. When asked whether Moriarity was the movie's villain, Strong said the character is in it, but not very much. Lord Blackwood, not Moriarty is the bad guy of the film.
Instead, what they may be doing is setting up a series of movies, teasing Moriarty and perhaps focusing on him in the next picture. As Strong pointed out in his interview, "everything's a franchise these days."
Franchise, hmmmmmmm oh deary me. Well Moriarty is the king pin of crime, (the Napoleon of Crime to quote Sherlock) there were many henchmen such as Sebastian Moran, Charles Augustus Milverton, Von Bork and many more so it would sound right to keep Moriarty in the background, it worked with James Bond and Blofeld.
The quotes coming about the film, that Sherlock Holmes is going to be bad ass, the James Bond of the 19th century, he's going to be an intellectual action hero... make the entire project sound worse than that awful 'Sherlock: A Case for Evil' film. It just sounds horrible.
I wish someone would make a Holmes film based on the books :(
*also a member of the SHSL*
That is the reason why i am a devoted Brett fan, you watch those shows now (the DVD box set is excellent) and they stand the test of time. It is such a shame he never completed the canon. The film is based on the new comic book which has been approved (I've been led to believe though i have not read anything in the journal) by the Holmes society (which society hmmmmmm)
I've heard nothing on the grapevine for the SHSL nor the BSI (they did review a Holmes graphic novel but it was a tongue in cheek parody which is quite funny) about the graphic novel. I might go ask on their forums just to see if anyone else knows anything.
I like Brett but my Holmes is either Vasily Livanov or Clive Merrison (a cross between them would be the ULTIMATE HOLMES!). I'm not a fan of Robert Downey Jr but he can act and will probably do a decent job with the material (hopefully!), it's the Watson casting that worries me most.
Ah the Russian Holmes and the Radio 4 Holmes. I'm not over familiar with Livanov so will have to go buying in November (NEC Memoranillia show, i pick up Holmes stuff there got a great DVD with Ronald Howard and all 39 episodes in one box set.)
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on September 16, 2008, 11:25:15 PM
Ah the Russian Holmes and the Radio 4 Holmes. I'm not over familiar with Livanov so will have to go buying in November (NEC Memoranillia show, i pick up Holmes stuff there got a great DVD with Ronald Howard and all 39 episodes in one box set.)
The Ronald Howard ones are... interesting I suppose is the best thing I can think of to say about them! I have a wonderful copy of SPEC & ILLU staring Douglas Whilmer that I think are pretty stand out in terms of Holmes actors.
I got my Russian Holmes series from a Finnish website called 'Ruslania (http://www.ruslania.com/context-161/entity-3/details-334.html)', when you do the conversion from Euro's it's pretty cheap and their shipping was brilliant.
Douglas Wilmer is a member os the SHSL as well. Turns up at meetings.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on September 16, 2008, 11:33:41 PM
Douglas Wilmer is a member os the SHSL as well. Turns up at meetings.
I knew he was a member, didn't know he came to meetings on occasion - cool :) I'm a bit gutted I joined a bit too late to be able to go meet Vasily Livanov when he came to London for a documentary. It's a bit of a pity that David Stuart Davis had to step down from the board, I'd quite liked to have met him... hopefully I will :)
Jude Law Is Watson In "Holmes"
By Garth FranklinFriday, September 19th 2008 12:10am
Jude Law is in negotiations to star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" project reports Digital Spy.
The actor is finalizing a deal to portray the famous Baker Street detective's sidekick Dr. John H. Watson - a role which Russell Crowe was previously rumored for until he denied the report.
Ritchie's film will take inspiration from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novels and Lionel Wigram's comic book series which portays the great detective as more of a man of action.
Robert Downey Jr. has already been cast as the eponymous sleuth. A 2010 release is scheduled.
Quote from: StarTrekFanatic5 on September 19, 2008, 11:26:19 AM
Jude Law Is Watson In "Holmes"
That's even worse than the Will Ferrall rumour! :( :(
I don't know what to say about all this its just not cricket i tell you :mad2:
Actually Will Ferrall is Watson in another Holmes film with Sacha Baron Cohen as Holmes. Now strangely enough i have no problems with this because you know its a comedy and not being serious, a bit like without a clue in the 80's.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on September 19, 2008, 04:37:02 PM
Actually Will Ferrall is Watson in another Holmes film with Sacha Baron Cohen as Holmes. Now strangely enough i have no problems with this because you know its a comedy and not being serious, a bit like without a clue in the 80's.
Oops I meant,
Colin Ferrall. The comedy one doesn't bother me too much because it's a comedy, I would be quite happy if Sacha Baron Cohen played a non-comic Holmes as he's a very good actor.
I think you will be upset then as i believe he is playing it in a comic way.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on September 20, 2008, 06:23:24 AM
I think you will be upset then as i believe he is playing it in a comic way.
I know, I meant that if Cohen was playing him straight he'd be great but I don't think we need another 'Without a Clue'.
I won't have a word said against Michael Caine young lady teapot, its better than Young Sherlock, man i hate that film.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on September 21, 2008, 06:23:52 AM
I won't have a word said against Michael Caine young lady teapot, its better than Young Sherlock, man i hate that film.
'Young Sherlock' is dire, I agree... but on the whole I prefer 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes's Smarter Brother' to 'Without a Clue' (which I did like)
Sherlock Holmes Begins Production in London
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
October 1, 2008
Principal photography is set to begin on location in London for the action adventure mystery Sherlock Holmes, being helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie (RocknRolla), for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.
Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.
Based on an original story/comic book by Lionel Wigram, inspired by the classic tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the film will be produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Steve Clark-Hall and Bruce Berman are serving as executive producers.
In a dynamic new portrayal of Conan Doyle's famous characters, Sherlock Holmes sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
"What we've done is hopefully launched a franchise of Sherlock Holmes stories," Silver said today in London.
Hmmmmm. Time to cross my legs, sit in a chair, clasp my hands together and smoke my pipe and see what unfolds.
I wonder where in London they're filming... *makes up a "SHERLOCK HOLMES DID NOT LOVE IRENE" poster* what? No, I'm not going to stand around and disrupt filming...
I'm with you Steph, bring the posters. ;)
Our first look at RDJ as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson...
So far, I'm really digging the costumes. The purple coat he has is definitely something I want for my closet.
And a little side note, does anyone else think of RDJ's "Chaplin" when they see the black bowler hat on his head?
Hmmmmmm, suddenly i feel a tadge better about this flm. The top photo (yes KC very chaplinesque) is pretty dockside looking but the bottom one looks pretty neat. Looking forward to seeing more, they are filming in London at the moment, may have to get our roving London scout 'teapot' on the case.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on October 13, 2008, 11:11:40 PM
Hmmmmmm, suddenly i feel a tadge better about this flm. The top photo (yes KC very chaplinesque) is pretty dockside looking but the bottom one looks pretty neat. Looking forward to seeing more, they are filming in London at the moment, may have to get our roving London scout 'teapot' on the case.
Still don't think it bodes well, doesn't matter how good they look you can't disguise the fact Jude Law makes furniture look dramatic, Guy Ritchie is gunning for Ed Wood's mantle and they're too scared to publish the graphic novel the film is based on!
I've been searching for the comic. No wonder i couldn't find it. Still no firm thoughts from SHSL about this.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on October 14, 2008, 05:27:48 AM
I've been searching for the comic. No wonder i couldn't find it. Still no firm thoughts from SHSL about this.
It worries me that they seem reluctant to get the graphic novel out there.
Yeah its un-published. Will ask at the comic convention next month.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on October 14, 2008, 11:14:28 PM
Yeah its un-published. Will ask at the comic convention next month.
Yay :)
Warner Bros. Sets Sherlock Holmes Date
Source: ComingSoon.net
October 16, 2008
Warner Bros. Pictures has set a November 20, 2009 release date for the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Kelly Reilly.
In the thriller, Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.
The only other movie scheduled for that week before Thanksgiving next year is Sony's animated sci-fi tale Planet 51, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman and John Cleese.
I've always loved Holmes. I'm in for this, though I think that Jeremy Brett set the bar very high. Hopefully, Downey Jr. is up to the task.
check out the new poster...
**Edit** I don't know if this is official or not but it's still cool.
ShoWest First Look at Sherlock Holmes
Source: Edward Douglas
March 31, 2009
Sometimes, ShoWest does pull out a few unexpected surprises, and while it was always known that Warner Bros. President and COO Alan Horn would be giving the welcome remarks at the State of the Industry Update, he used his time to also give a preview of some of Warner Bros.' upcoming movies, including showing the first footage of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams.
An even bigger surprise was the actual presence of Downey, who took a break from preparing for Iron Man 2 to introduce the footage to the theater owners in the audience. After coming out to applause and being hugged by Horn, Downey Jr. joked that Horn hugs him every time he sees him now though that it wasn't always that way.
Before showing the footage, he told the audience how he came to the project, how after the opening weekend of Iron Man, he was told he probably could do anything he wanted to do "for the next hour and a half," so he went to Joel Silver, who gave Downey his first job 25 years ago (Weird Science), and gave him some ideas what he might be interested in doing. He learned about Guy Ritchie's plans to update Sherlock Holmes. Ritchie thought that Downey was too old for the role, but Downey convinced him and then also convinced him that Rachel McAdams wasn't too young to play his love interest. (He made a joke about using "Benjamin Button"-like CG to minimize their age difference.) Downey claimed that part of the reason Ritchie's movie will be different from the previous incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character is that besides going back to the original source material, the other projects never had the money to do it correctly.
The footage, a pseudo teaser-trailer, that followed had never been shown before, although we did glimpse a few scenes we saw being filmed and that were shown to ComingSoon.net during our set visit last year, including Holmes' bare-knuckle fight and the early fight with Blackwood's henchmen. Otherwise, there was a lot of information going by very fast, as is always the case, so we tried to take notes and remember what we could.
It opens with eerie music and shadowy scenes of Victorian London and we see a shot of Downey's Holmes running down a spiral staircase and another of him smoking his trademark pipe as a voice-over tells Holmes that he needs to "widen his gaze" because he's underestimating the "gravity of coming events." The voiceover tells Holmes that at the dawn of the new day, the world as he knows it would end, to which Holmes responds playfully, "Well, there isn't any time to waste then" and he jumps out the window.
We get a brief glimpse of Eddie Marsan's Inspector LeStrade saying something about someone seeing Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong's villain in the film) rising from the grave, and Holmes is asked to find and stop him, which Holmes claims will "take every ounce of my not inconsiderable experience." To that, LeStrade comes back with a slam about it maybe being a hobby to Holmes, but that he does it for a living. (This confirms what Marsan told us last year about their working relationship not being a particularly friendly one.)
Holmes says that he needs to have someone with him that he can thoroughly trust, at which point we see him greeting Jude Law's Dr. Watson and we get a bit of the rapport between them, as the two of them squabble about the things roommates normally argue over, Law complaining about Holmes playing the violin late at night and his "lack of hygiene."
After that, we get a bit of the interaction between Holmes and Rachel McAdams' Irene Adler, as they scuffle, her pulling out an ornament from which sharp blades jut out to threaten Holmes. That interaction ends with him left chained to a bed. Watson finds him in that state and asks, "Holmes, does your depravity know no bounds?" to which Holmes replies, "No." (Later we see Adler in a very sexy outfit, as McAdams' credit is shown.)
Another scene shows Holmes facing a much larger opponent, who looked like Nathan Jones, the giant from the opening of Troy, atop what looked like a clock tower. Jones is wielding an enormous sledgehammer while Holmes is carrying just a standard everyday hammer, which he promptly throws at the giant hoping that would do some damage. (It doesn't, and the giant attacks.) This scene got a huge laugh from the audience.
There was a quick-cut montage of more action scenes before a scene where a maid walks into a room and screams, dropping the tray she was carrying. We cut to Downey chained to a bed naked except for a pillow covering his genitals, and he asks her to remain calm and that under the pillow is the "key to his release" and the shocked woman runs out screaming.
It was a very funny and exciting first look at what will surely be Guy Ritchie's most high profile film to date, and it got a great reaction from the exhibitors in attendance. It'll be interesting to see where and when this teaser trailer will surface, as it definitely did its job in showing what the movie is all about.
Sherlock Holmes opens on Christmas Day. Look for more from ComingSoon.net's visit to the set shortly.
I'm looking forward to this but i'm hoping that RDJ is in Holmes style disguise in that picture as Holmes is a tidy kind of chap.
Trailer is out...
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810045845/video/13526202 (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810045845/video/13526202)
or
http://www.traileraddict.com/emb/11073 (http://www.traileraddict.com/emb/11073)
Looks like it's going to be a good one :metallica:.
Now that looks like a big pile of fun. I'm a Holmsian as you all know and I can't wait to see this. I hope this film does what the Star Trek film has done for the franchise. RDJ can do no wrong and even Jude Law looks like he is bringing himself back to the front.
Yes, I am avid Holmes fan. I am delighted a movie is coming out - but filled with reservations about how Ritchie will handle our beloved Holmes & Watson. Will Mycroft make an appearance I wonder?
A new trailer has been released.. looks great.
http://www.mtv.com/videos/movie-trailers/452906/sherlock-holmes.jhtml# (http://www.mtv.com/videos/movie-trailers/452906/sherlock-holmes.jhtml#)
Just got back from this and completely enjoyed it. A lot of fun and Robert Downey Jr. continues to just be outstanding in everything he does - in my view. I liked the chemistry between him and Jude Law's Watson a great deal. The movie has a lot of style too and I liked how they handled Holmes mind and how he thinks. Another one of my favorite films of the year. I want it on DVD right now just to have fun watching it again!
Oh how funny.. I saw this a week before it came out but never gave my reaction... Here's my blog post about it..
Today I was lucky enough to get an advance screening of the new Sherlock Holmes movie. The PRG (Producer's Guild of America) were sponsoring it. Since Harry didn't want to see it I took my friend Greg Aronowitz who really wanted to see it. It was playing at some Guild theater so no food or drinks allowed and because it was a pre-screening they didn't allow any cell phones.
Two hours flew by and what an AWESOME movie. I'm not going to give away any spoilers just my general thoughts of the film. It was a fun, murder mystery type movie. The acting was great, RDJ was the perfect Holmes and Jude Law was fantastic as Watson. It was funny, sad, action packed and kept you guessing the entire way through. I loved how it was shot and how they would slow things down and drop the audio.
I'm not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan so I don't know how true this is to the original but it was entertaining and I can't wait to see it again after Christmas. Here's hoping it does well so we can get a sequel.
Well, based on these 2 glowing reviews I will check the film out over the holiday. I am a true Holmes fan, having read all the stories and cases. So far, I haven't read anything about the plot of this movie, so I am not sure if it is a retelling of one of the stories by Conan Doyle, or a modern invention.
I'm not really up on Holmes, so I have no idea with regards to the story or how well it fits with what has been written. But the movie was just a whole lot of fun to watch - very smart and stylish too I thought. Really impressed me a lot.
My younger son Justin was talking about treating me to this movie. Since you've all given it such good reviews I'm looking forward to it a bit more. I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless.
yep, I'm going to have to see this now! :)
I saw this movie today. Wow, wow, wow. Great movie, and before going in, I had no idea who directed (Guy Ritchie) or who were Holmes & Watson (RDJ & Jude Law respectively).
I will give out a few spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film yet, stop reading right now.
You have seen it? Great! I definitely want this on DVD right now, holy cow this was a fun movie.
One thing I loved was that they used a really unique cinematic device to showcase Holmes's mind: There are 2 combat sequences that start out in slow motion with Holmes narrating how he's going to screw the guy over, and then he does it full speed!
So many good moments in this one. Can I have another one with this same Holmes & Watson, please? Heck, you could even have Guy Ritchie back if you wanted to!
BJ
Glad you enjoyed it BJ. Like I have said, I really thought it was great. A definite favorite movie of 2009.
As a film I thought it was okay - I'm so over the global conspiracy masons taking over the world thing, haven't we done enough 'Da Vinci Code'? There were some wonderful set pieces, and the acting was pretty good... Irene Adler turned into a pointless character though - what was the point in setting her up as Holmes's rival only to turn her into the screaming damsel in distress who needs rescuing? Couldn't they have done that to Mary and thus give Jude Law something other to do than look exasperated?
I put a full (very spoiler filled) review up on my Holmes blog if anyone is interested - http://starshipteapot.com/holmesian/ (http://starshipteapot.com/holmesian/).
I thought it was more of the "weird cult thing" that we saw in Young Sherlock Holmes, too. But at least they stuck largely to the canonic Sherlock Holmes!
BJ
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/16197/-holmes-sequel-racing-to-production (http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/16197/-holmes-sequel-racing-to-production)
By Garth Franklin Wednesday January 27th 2010 05:25AM
"Holmes" Sequel Racing To Production
Producer Joel Silver tells The Los Angeles Times that due to the "Sherlock Holmes" sequel being fast-tracked, Guy Ritchie is no longer attached to direct the comic adaptation "Lobo".
Silver, who's producing both films, says "I don't think he's going to do it now. The studio wants us and Guy to focus on making another 'Sherlock Holmes'... So we're trying to see if we can do something quickly with another 'Sherlock Holmes' movie. We have some ideas and some good story points." Rather than delay, Silver adds that they'll likely choose another director for "Lobo".
What about Brad Pitt appearing as Professor Moriarty in the next 'Holmes'? "Well, I mean, we talked about that at one point, but you know as of right now we're not sure what we're going to do. We'll see what happens".