Sherlock Holmes: Jude Law cast as Watson
Story by Jack Foley
JUDE Law is to play Dr Watson alongside Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes in director Guy Ritchie’s new take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective.
Announcing further casting details at a press conference to mark the start of production on the Warner Bros blockbuster, Ritchie was joined by fellow cast members, including Downey Jr himself as well as Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams.
Speaking from Freemasons Hall in London (where some scenes will be shot), Ritchie said that he has been a fan of Sherlock Holmes for years, so when Warner Bros approached him to direct he was immediately enthused.
“I really knew him [Sherlock Holmes] from tape and what I’d imagined in my mind was not exactly what I’d seen previouly manifested on film.”
He said he would be looking to bring something new to the project and had a few tricks up his sleeve. “This won’t be a traditional Guy Ritchie thing; it’s a new Guy Ritchie thing,” he added.
Downey Jr, meanwhile, confidently predicted that he was going to deliver a Sherlock Holmes “better that it’s ever been done before”. Dispelling fears that an American might not be perceived as ideal casting for such a quintessentially British character, he also pointed to his previous work in Chaplin, which won him a BAFTA, as evidence of his ability to deliver a convincing English accent.
He also said that his Holmes wouldn’t be a repressed type of personality, but rather “a bohemian” and “a patriot” who doesn’t necessarily have to operate within the guidelines that Scotland Yard set.
He also pledged to make to take the role seriously to deliver a version of Sherlock Holmes that remained faithful to Sir Athur Conan Doyle’s text, but who was fresh and exciting enough for savvy contemporary audiences.
The film will be based on an original story/comic book by one of the film’s producers Lionel Wigram, inspired by the classic tales of Sir Athur Conan Doyle. Rachel McAdams will play Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes; Kelly Reilly will play Watson’s love interest, Mary, and Mark Strong will play mysterious new adversary Blackwood.
While a lot of elementary details were revealed, Ritchie refused to divulge any details concerning Holmes’ attire, saying that he wasn’t allowed to at this point. It is also not yet known whether any further A-list names will be added as potential allies or adversaries.