Monday 13 October 2008

Sherlock Holmes Movie In 2009

Director Guy Ritchie has decided to tackle a new movie adaptation based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. The movie, simply titled Sherlock Holmes,is starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Filming started in early October in London, UK. We may expect the movie Sherlock Holmes to be released during the second half of 2009.

The Plot:
"Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England." (Source: IMDb)

Here below a first look at Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson:
(Click on the piucture to enlarge it.)

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law on the set of Serhlock Holmes in London

If one follows the traditional representation of the two detectives, the roles would have been assigned the other way around: the slim shape of Jude Law is a better match of Sherlock Holmes traditional representation and aging Robert Downey's physiognomy is more similar to Watson's...
(Click on the piucture to enlarge it.)
Traditional representation of Sherlock Holmes (with his pipe)
and Dr. Watson (crossing his arms).

But may be Director Guy Ritchie is purposely trying to make us reconsider what we know of Sherlock Holmes and his universe.I heard that Guy Ritchie wants to show that Serlock Holmes' intellect is as much of a curse as it is a blessing. He said that it will be a very contemporary film as far as the tone and texture, because it has been a relatively long time since there's been a film version of Sherlock Holmes that people embraced.

If I can make a bold statement, I bet this Sherlock Holmes movie will indeed reboot the English detective!

One thing I am just thinking about that Robert Downey Jr. and Sherlock Holmes have in common is their drug addiction: Robert Downey Jr. was indeed a drug addict (no idea what kind) and Sherlock Holmes regularly takes opium... But I suppose that Hollywood will not dwell on this dark side of the story... But it could have been interesting...
:)

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

YAY! I'M SO Excited for this movie! For once someone is doing Sherlock Holmes right!

Anonymous said...

i cant wait to watch this take of sherlock holmes! ^^ however, i wished they chose someone a little taller for the role of sherlock. =S

oh and sherlock never took opium... he used cocaine and morphine. =]

Anonymous said...

i so cant wait for this movie either. whoever is making the one with will ferrel for sherlock holmes i've lost all respect for.

yeah you might want to fix the opium thing; holmes took morphine and cocaine in 7% solutions if memory serves correct

Anonymous said...

and quincedentaly enough I am pretty sure downy was alcohol and cocai

Anonymous said...

WHAT!!!
Excited!!! About this!!!
And just what do you mean by 'for once someone is doing Sherlock Holmes right!'.
Not based on an original story, no resemblance between any of the lead actors and any of the illustrations ever used in any publication.
This will no doubt be huge box office, but for anyone with an interest in Holmes, avoid this populist tripe and buy a book.

Anonymous said...

There is a reason no one has seen a trailer for this yet.

Anonymous said...

Sherlock took Morphine and Cocaine.

Unknown said...

sh they had chosen someone a little older foor both parts. especially watson. i mean come on! hes not a bad actor but the part just isn't right for him.

Anonymous said...

i thought cocaine and morphine were derivatives of opium....

Sherlock Holmes said...

nope, cocaine comes from leaves of coca while opium (morphine is a derivative of opium) is extracted from poppy flowers.

Anonymous said...

they should have chosen johnny depp...

Anonymous said...

Holmes never took opium, he faked being high in one story to get info, but he did indeed inject cocaine on the occasions when he was bored with his life( no cases to work on)

Anonymous said...

Just look at Robert's face. He sucks man! Holmes has a pointed nose. None can be compared with Holmes except Jeremy.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Holmes fan, and personally, I like to see things shaken up a bit. Even though there will be many differences, I can't wait to see it just to see Wigram's idea of Holmes.

Anonymous said...

It should have been Clive Merrison...he IS sherlock Holmes as far as im concerned.The BBC radio adaptations are the best incarnations of the story's

Anonymous said...

Point of fact: Sherlock Holmes' drug of choice was cocaine. He sometimes used morphine, a derivative of opium, but he did not regularly use opium and in fact looked poorly on those who did. In any case, despite that the use of these drugs was legal and in some ways socially acceptable at the time, Dr. Watson strongly opposed their recreational use and eventually weaned Holmes off the drugs.

shalyn said...

downey naked handcuffed to a bed im so there

Anonymous said...

should be alan shearer

Erica said...

I'm really excited to see this movie -- RDJr doesn't match the exact physical discription of Holmes -- true, but I think that this movie looks closer to the "real" Holmes than any I've seen thus far. In the books and stories, Holmes was a much grittier character than the snooty dear-stalker wearing representations we've seen of him so far. I'm looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

The best actor for it in our time will be Rupert Everett British 6 feet 4 he is every inch the image of the literary Sherlock Holmes, whom Sir Arthur Conan Doyle placed at "rather over six feet." I love him in the Masterpiece Theatre "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking" He was perfect in the role.
I will love to see more of him as Sherlock.
A Sherlock fan.

Unknown said...

Just to clarify, Holmes is addicted to COCAINE, not opium, in one book (can't remember which), he specifically told that to Watson who was really against it because he was a doctor
I just hope they don't pair him up with anyone, that would go against the books and Hollywood really likes that, unfortunately

T.C. Darren said...

Hello Erica,

I'd recommend the Granada Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Jeremy Brett (mentioned above). Brett comes closest that the gritty Holmes of the book. And they have a fantastic portrayal of Mycroft Holmes too {8)

Dread Pirate Lainey said...

I am a huge fan Sherlock Holmes, both the literary character and the movies, and I am looking forward to this re-interpretation. To me that is what art is for, to be interpreted over and over again in different ways.

And who knows perhaps this 'more accessible' version will inspire people to read more Sherlock Holmes stories. To me anything that might get people to read more is always good, and if nothing else it will be a good time, because Guy Ritchie is good at making those kinds of movies!

Nixon Carmichael said...

Hollywood won't dwell on the dark side of it? Are you kidding me? This is a bloody Guy Ritchie film. My guess is that there will be more intravenous drugs in this film than Requiem for a Dream.

DCWeeT said...

I've always been a hard-core fan of the books and all the tv & movie adaptations. My Dad was a die-hard of the Basil Rathbone movies, owning every one before buying all of them on DVD the day they came out. Same goes for the Granada series, which Jeremy Brett was the Holmes I grew up on, and in my opinion, THE definitive Holmes. I'm going to try and have a very open mind about this movie...I'm a huge Robert Downey fan, so I think it'll be good...I just fear that after watching the trailer, Guy is taking a bit too much licence with the material.

Nick Zaveri said...

I'm just curious as to the source material for the film. Is it just a movie about Sherlock Holmes? The film doesn't seem to be based on any of the short stories, which is sad. "A Study in Scarlet" would have been a great movie. But, I think the producers and the screenwriters just wanted to make a movie about the character. I'm interested, though.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Holmes doesn't like opium, instead a seven percent solution of cocaine and sometimes morphine.

Anonymous said...

Based on the well known images and physical description, it seems as if Jude Law should have played Sherlock and Robert Downey Jr., Dr. Watson. Jude also possesses that cool nature that IMO is perfectly suited for Holmes.... Oh well. Still can't wait to see the flick as a life long fan of the character!

Anonymous said...

As a die~hard fan I can not wait for this film's release... However, I think Jude Law, with his tall lean appearance and cool, distant nature would have been a great choice for Holmes, while RD Jr. would have been a much better Watson. I am a bit skeptical but still excited to see Sir Arthur's work receiving some attention!!! Hooray!

Anonymous said...

I can't Wait to see this movie! especialy because Robert Downey Jr playing Sherlock Holmes! i think he is the right person for this role! 6 month wait,, it's too long! but i'm sure this movie will be box office in all over the world! i can't wait for it!

Anonymous said...

This is not Jude Law's first time playing a character in Holmes movie. He played Joe Barnes in a Granada version of Shoscombe Old Place. Ironic. However, I won't be watching this "representation" of Sherlock Holmes. Nothing about Downey's portrayal that I saw on the trailer looks anything like what Arthur Conan Doyle envisioned for this character. Perfect waste of a movie ticket.

Arnold Chu said...

RDJ as Holmes may be interesting so I'm willing to suspend judgement. But I find MOST GALLING this portrayal of Irene Adler. Holmes' unrequited longing for "That woman" is a beautiful ache that echos in the background. To have her prancing around in undies and playing bondage games surely destroys the image of grace, intelligence, and wit that one glimps of her from the stories. Why must Hollywood insist on forcing lust in our face? Yes, I know the answer, but it doesn't make it any better.

Anonymous said...

No one will ever top the incomparable Jeremy Brett's portrail of S. Holmes. Even so, I'm anxious to see how the movie treats our heros. I only hope it does not end up like the comically awful "Wild West".

- An Irregular

Anonymous said...

I've seen the trailer. The movie looks contrived and silly. It's fine to want to shake things up a bit. However, Sherlock Holmes is such an iconic character you can't mess with him so much that he is unrecognizable. Downey comes across as a complete idiot. Hard to say how Jude Law does as Watson, they show so little of him.

Anonymous said...

I too don't think the interpretation of these characters will be very true. Modern Americans just do a bad job. The British always seem more in touch. However, these two are a bit younger; Holmes was born in 1854, met Watson in 1880 and began his practice in ernest then at the age of 26, with Watson a bit younger (ref: Baring-Gould). So far never filmed that way. Usually takes actors some years to get good enough to carry such roles. Not surprising, of course. Also, younger people back then both looked and behaved, rather older. Look at the pics in a High School year book from the early 1960's, even! And in the 1800's, with a harder life and all . . . you grew up and even seemed to look 'older'! I think Brett is still the best, with perhaps John Neville in A Study In Terror (1967) a good second. What do you folks think?

Koba said...

yeah, wtf is wrong with shae?S he/He probably never read a Sherlock Holmes story. This looks like an action movie that should be staring jackie chan.....Holmes fights with his brains and rarely physically. I thought the movie was going to be a more slow paced mystery movie and not explosion and gunfight filled. I'm really disappointed :(

Kudo Shinichi said...

Looking forward to this movie. Yatah!!!!

A Somewhat Weary Fan said...

To be quite honest I'm a bit conflicted with the whole thing.
I'm a hardcore fan of Sherlock Holmes, having read all the stories and watched as many of the older movies as I could. The preview I saw portrayed the characters so... not how I imagined. And after reading more information online, I've become even more weary.
I'm excited to see a newer film of Sherlock Holmes, but I'm worried it will be ruined too much. Go ahead and take some license, change things up a bit; that would be wonderful! But too much might just be that.
I still would like to see it, though. See they're interpretation.

Anonymous said...

To anyone who has seen the Granada television series of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett, no other actor no matter how talented can measure up to the late Mr. Brett's portrayal of the fameous detective. I have nothing but respect for RDJ's talent, but in my mind, Jeremy Brett is, was and always will be Sherlock Holmes. To play him as witty, suave, and urbane is a slap in the face to the cannon.

Anonymous said...

Holmes was tall, thin, and meticulous about his appearance. A scruffy RDJ is not at all the right image for him. And Holmes was still in college when he started his career.
Oh, and he prided himself on being a gentleman (especially to ladies), and Irene Adler was happily married.

I will not be watching this movie.
-MRH

Anonymous said...

Uproarious & quite comical!! All of this bantering about regarding Holmes' pharmaceuticals of choice? A.C. Doyle (& Holmes) would find this behavior rather revealing. Please, for your own sakes, get a life. Oh yeah...gonna see the movie.

Anonymous said...

I'm really looking forward to this movie. I've loved Sherlock Holmes since i read my first book back when i were 12 :) I hope it's not going to be disapointing.

Anonymous said...

Stop complaining people! I am an original holmes fan and i can't wait to see the movie! you people are right though, Jude Law is waaay to young..

Anonymous said...

While there is something to be said for being a Holmes purist...does it really matter what the changes are in this version? Truth be told Basil Rathbone is unavailable, as well as others, and maybe a less stodgy Holmes and Watson is exactly what Sir Arthur's characters need. It's just a different look, so to speak. I mean, if I wanted truer to original versions of things I never would have went to see Pirates of The Caribbean. Would any of you? Wait, I can only imagine the complaints..."that's not like the ride!!!". If anything I usually hate adaptations from books. They usually stink. Go see this flick, it's a good way to kill a few hrs and escape. Nothing will take away from the original stories, not this movie, not any movie, so just relax.