Guy Ritchie Talks Sherlock Holmes

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Guy Ritchie Talks Sherlock Holmes

August 22, 2008

RocknRolla 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.

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Posted by: Dwight on August 22, 2008 at 02:50:39

freakin' sweet.

Posted by: Arbies commercials suck on August 22, 2008 at 02:54:43

who could the villian be....Doc Ock!

Posted by: TheDarkKnight on August 22, 2008 at 03:01:54

I gotta say I am saddened by this... Guy Richie is gonna make this movie suck.

Posted by: Mark Morgan on August 22, 2008 at 04:07:43

Everyone's probably thinking Moriarty for the villian, and it will probably be him, BUT ... if the producers want a sequel, why not frontline Col. Sebastian Moran as the main villian and use him as a lead in for Moriarty to come in part 2. Moran was Moriarty's second in command after all and the only agent of the Moriarty to be featured in a short story after the master criminal's death.

There's also Charles Augustus Milverton the famous master blackmailer who was so clever, Holmes could not defeat him and had to resort to merely sabotaging his organization through illegal means. You could create a wonderful paradox with Milverton, since he forced Holmes to resort to criminal means, effectively degenerate the great champion of justice to the very thing he had fought against for so long.

And if Irene Adler is going to be featured, then the King of Bohemia, who is not only Irene's former lover but the very person who is black mailing him, could easily be twisted into a vengeful royal, providing Holmes with the problematic duty of defending his the only woman he loves from the law, while simultanesouly trying to keep her from breaking it.

And for that matter, what about the Avenging Angels? Holmes never actually met them, but they were the main cause of the problem in his first novel 'A Study In Scarlet'. Why couldn't they come to London looking for the two renegade members who were the murder victims in STUDY and meet up with the great Detective?

I realize that all my examples are essentially one shot characters who are largely known only to those who follow closely the master sleuth's chronology, but all the same, there are choices beyond Moriarty.

Posted by: Aaric on August 22, 2008 at 04:15:26

TheDarkKnight, I'm curious as to why you think so? Not that I don't agree with you, but what's your reasoning? I'm sure Guy Ritchie isn't the guy you think of when you make a Sherlock Holmes movie, but I think Guy is willing to go out and try something different this time. His last film Revolver was different from his 2 other films but I can also see how he didn't change much, ya know?

If the movie's not good, at least we'll know it will be entertaining. RDJ and Ritchie both have great sense of humors.

Posted by: mqwk on August 22, 2008 at 04:27:52

Dude, Mark Morgan, those sound like kick ass plots. If they don't take those routes for this movie, I hope the creators of the third Batman film get some inspiration from Sherlock Holmes adventures.

Posted by: orange cinema on August 22, 2008 at 05:56:50

oh man...that's frightening news to hear. this film shoud absolutely NOT be 50% deduction & 50% action. they have to start having faith in the fact that the audience is intelligent enough to deal with a franchise/character like this who doens't need wire-work acrobatics to carry a ****ing film. though i will say i have more faith in ritchie than a bunch of the hack directors that we have.

Posted by: JJD on August 22, 2008 at 07:10:01

Jeremy Brett is the only Sherlock Holmes. RIP

Posted by: CinemaMad on August 22, 2008 at 07:29:43

Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes? You've gotta be kidding me -- I see no genius detective in that guy at all.

Posted by: TheBat on August 22, 2008 at 07:54:52

CinemaMad, that's why it's called......acting.
See, it's a strange concept but, people called 'actors' portray characters that are different than themselves. For example, you won't be seeing Christian Bale driving any tanks around town, gliding through the night sky on a batwing, or beating the hell out of criminally insane psycohpaths. Yet, we can still 'pretend' that he does as Bruce Wayne. It may be hard for some to understand but, try to wrap your head around it. Maybe you'll be able to enjoy a movie or two.

Posted by: really? on August 22, 2008 at 07:59:40

So basically they're trying to make another Indy Jones/Mummy adventure movie. Greeeeeeeeat.

I like the fact that Holmes uses his intellect, and that's what has made the character endearing over the years. Not his muscle.

Posted by: Dr. Joesph Bell on August 22, 2008 at 08:41:44

Duuuude Mark Morgan is completely right!!!!!! They could have Ben Stiller play Mycroft Holmes, and Jack Black play Watson!!!!

Posted by: Ba Ba Booey on August 22, 2008 at 09:48:08

Howard Stern as Sherlock Holmes and Artie Lange as Watson

Posted by: Red-Surfer on August 22, 2008 at 10:42:07

ohhhh, I am so not sure about this. Aside from Guy directing the movie, I think that going action wise with our old friend is a mistake. A duel or two I could see, but don't forget Sherlock is a real sleuth when he doesn't have a case to solve. I wonder if they are going to talk about his drug use. One thing about Sir A Conan Doyle, he was way before his time when he actually had Dr Watson say that these habits were very dangerous for your health (something not really beleived at the time).

I hope they do justice to the whole work, for I have read those books quite often (like Asimov, Tolkien, Herbert, etc). And of all of them, only Jackson's Lords of the Rings and Lynch's Dune were very good adaptations (IMO at least).

As for the casting of RDJ, I think if the scenario is good, he can deliver a very good performance. But, like so many others, to me, the only real Sherlock Holmes will always be Jeremy Brett!

Sorry Robert, but you have big shoes to fill. Good luck to us all!

Posted by: Red-Surfer on August 22, 2008 at 10:47:47

@ Mark Morgan

BTW, very good suggestions Mark, you know your stuff! Can't wait to see which direction they are going to go. Adding Irene in the script, it could go either way, good or bad...we just have to wait and see.

Posted by: FireFly's Enigma on August 22, 2008 at 10:58:06

RDJ can play witty while having that serious look about him and still gets results. I can't wait. So if RocknRolla proves to be Ritchie's return to his old days than Sherlock Holmes will be great.

Posted by: jesse on August 22, 2008 at 11:40:13

sherlock is so much like Batman. this movie could be amazing. i have faith in Ritchie.

Posted by: artofwar on August 22, 2008 at 13:39:55

mark morgan.....thank you thank you very much...im happy to hear their is a fan of the series like you. the avenging angels is a great idea. we'll soon see what happens

Posted by: Martin Manhunter on August 22, 2008 at 14:30:51

hope it's along the lines of Pirates of the Carribean.

that would be par for the course of garbage adventure films.

Posted by: knack on August 22, 2008 at 15:23:14

An action oriented Holmes movie would be cool. It is referred to in the books that he is a good fighter and swordsman. As long as his keen intellect is still kept to the fore this could be decent and different Sherlock Holmes movie than we're used to.

Posted by: Colt's Dragoon on August 22, 2008 at 15:49:04

You gotta love the irony of a Sherlock Holmes movie being directed by a guy who had the brains to marry Madonna.

Sherlock Holmes is brilliant, with a keen ****ytical mind.

Guy Richie....not so much.

Posted by: Colt's Dragoon on August 22, 2008 at 15:51:10

They starred out A N A L from my previous post?

Posted by: lou-bert vs. q-bert on August 22, 2008 at 16:34:22

Guy Ritchie? The same man who did the remake of Swept Away with Madonna in the lead? RDJ is going to have to carry this movie.

Posted by: Scarehuman on August 22, 2008 at 17:41:50

It's like the action version of Pee Wee's Big Adventure within the actual movie, starting Josh Brolin as Pee Wee. This is that comical to me. I trust Robert Downey Jr. as an actor, but I do not have that same beaming sense of confidence in the writers of this film. I agree with JJD, Jeremy Brett was the consummate Sherlock Holmes.

Posted by: knack on August 22, 2008 at 18:14:19

Brett is the best portrayal of Holmes- and that is practically inarguable.
But this film could be fun if they pull it off- if it's camp or they are more interested in explosions over a good, solid mystery and showing Holmes at his deductive best, then this will be lame. Downey can only carry so much.

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