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LONDON: It's elementary, few can resist a good whodunnit and the crime-solving tricks of Sherlock Holmes. Reason enough for yet another stab (no pun intended) at recreating the unforgettable super-sleuth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his exploits on big screen, this time in the hands of Guy Ritchie.
Principal photography is set to begin on location in London for the film dubbed as an "action adventure mystery" which Ritchie is undertaking for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.
“Sherlock Holmes,” will star Robert Downey Jr. as the legendary detective and Jude Law stars as Holmes’ trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes.
While few can dispute the casting of Law who can be as English as afternoon tea and therefore suited for Watson, but Holmes in the hands of Downey who was last (and best) remembered for his big screen portrayal of comic-book hero "Iron Man"?
By the powers of deduction so loved by Holmes, you will discover that the new interpretation by Ritchie is based on an original story/comic book by Lionel Wigram, who was inspired by the classic. Don't forget either, that director Ritchie recently teamed with Joel Silver (who's also producing this movie) in "Sgt.Rock" – another comic book adaptation.
Aha! the comic-book hero connections emerge!
But seriously, film distributor Village Roadshow says "Sherlock Holmes" will be a dynamic new portrayal of Conan Doyle’s famous characters, who will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
While some may doubt if Downey is right for Holmes (or is it the other way around?), don't forget that Downey has the strong cheekbones that the legendary Holmes was portrayed to have.
And to be fair, Downey is a strong actor whose numerous roles include a convincing portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in “Chaplin” - a difficult part since the famous character had long left an imprint in the minds of many. For that effort, Downey earned the prestigious BAFTA award.
So if the Brits think Downey is not too bad an actor, maybe the Academy Award nominee can convincingly pull off the Holmes character despite the fact that it has been portrayed countless of times before.
According to the Guinness World Records, the part of Sherlock Holmes is the "most portrayed movie character" with over 70 actors playing the part in over 200 films. The most memorable of course were Basil Rathbone who starred as Sherlock Holmes in fourteen films from 1939-1946; and Jeremy Brett who played the character on TV in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", as well as on stage.
Die-hard Holmes fans cannot expect a close interpretation of the classic tales by Conan Doyle in the film produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.
So forgive the acute absence of Holmes nemesis Moriaty. Instead the movie rumoured for release in 2009-2010 has a mysterious new adversary, Blackwood played by Mark Strong, most recently seen in "RocknRolla", another Ritchie film.
In fact Ritchie, has reportedly said that he will try to change the way Holmes has been portrayed in the past.
But there are some elements that won't change.
There is love, which Holmes was not immune to, even in the novels. As expected, only a woman who can match the wits of Holmes is worthy, and in this case it is Irene Adler, whose tempestuous relationship with the detective will be left in the hands of Rachel McAdams.
With films credits such as “The Family Stone,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Red Eye,” and “Mean Girls” all eyes will be trained on just how well she can pull off the role of "the Woman" as Holmes had refered to his love.
The other key female lead in the film will be played by Kelly Reilly who will be Mary, the love interest of Watson, who actually did have a life of his own despite hanging around with Holmes most of the time.
The movie is supposed to reveal Holmes' fighting skills that will be as lethal as his legendary intellect.
According to Ritchie, he will showing off Holmes’ “skills as a boxer and a sword-fighter” in the movie which is also supposed to portray the detective as more adventurous, with more obscure character traits highlighted.
But will there be any violin-playing?
CNA/sf
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