Sherlock Holmes

[Geekyfanboy]

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

[Jen]

Oooooo... I can't wait. I wonder if Moriarty will be in it...

[Meds]

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.

[M-5]

I won't mind seeing a Sherlock Holmes film.  It's been years since I've seen one.

[Meds]

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!!!

[Geekyfanboy]

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.

[Darth Gaos]

Excellent!!  This sounds pretty cool and I should tell my Dad because he is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.

[Meds]

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.

[Trekkygeek]

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.

[Meds]

Yeah blimey he has really loxt the plot, swept away then revolver were just terrible, and i'm not sure about rock n rolla.

[Geekyfanboy]

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."

[Meds]

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.

[celestialteapot]

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*

[Meds]

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)

[celestialteapot]

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.