If you were asked to write a list of quintessential English characters in fiction, we’re betting that Sherlock Holmes would be pretty high up that list. Over the years there’ve been dozens of adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of the suer-intuitive, heroin-taking detective - some from Hollywood, many from the old British studio network, many more made for TV.

Well, it seems Hollywood has decided that the time is ripe for another crack at the IP, with rumours having circulated for some weeks now about two very different takes on the famous detective. Firstly, we heard that Guy Ritchie was being touted as Warner Bros. chosen director for a serious adaptation; then we heard that Columbia were looking to greenlight a comedy adaptation, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular detective and Will Ferrell as the bumbling Dr. Watson.

Well, there always has to be a winner, and, according to Variety, it looks like it’s Warner Bros. Flavour of the moment, Robert Downey Jr., has signed up to play Holmes, with Ritchie signed to start shooting in October. Good news, you may think.

Hmm. Maybe not. Ritchie’s not exactly wowed us since his one-two of Lock, Stock… and Snatch. In fact, he’s been rubbish - although his latest, Rock’n'Rolla, looks like it could well be a return to form. Then there’s the fact that he’s a completely unproven quantity away from his comfort zone of ‘lads about town wiv shooters, innit’.

Throw the fact that Downey Jr. (although ace and one of The Score’s favourite actors) will have to pull off a posh English accent, and we’re started to hear warning sirens.  Still, we live in hope.

Personally, we would have preferred to see a big budget adaptation, directed by Ridley Scott or Christopher Nolan (who did such a cracking job of nailing the period in The Prestige) with Jason Isaacs taking the Holmes role and Ewan McGregor taking the part of Dr. Watson.

But, y’know, Hollywood.

Jim

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