Sherlock Holmes is a hot property in Hollywood right now, with multiple movies being made about the fictional detective. Last week we told you here about a more comedic take on the character being done by Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell, tonight HR has the latest word on a serious version being done by Guy Ritchie.
Word is that Ritchie has found his Sherlock Holmes, and it’s Robert Downey Jr. Come on, that’s perfect isn’t it? It’s perfect for all the same reasons Tony Stark was perfect for him. Holmes, like Stark, and indeed like Robert Downey Jr., is yet another brilliant man battling with the demons of drug addiction. What? Sherlock Holmes a drug addict? You bet. Though the character has long since been Disneyfied, in the original books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes is a horrific cocaine addict who only escapes from his drug-addled haze when there’s a proper mystery to otherwise occupy and stimulate his brilliant brain.
It seems possible that this overlooked aspect of the legendary detective may be a part of Ritchie’s movie. HR’s story says his plan is to make Holmes more adventurous and less stuffy, while at the same time examining some of his more obscure character traits. Sounds like drug addiction to me. Cocaine or not, Downey is a brilliant actor and I can’t wait to see his take on the character. If you’ve seen Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, you know he was born to play a detective. It’s just unfortunate the film is being directed by guy Ritchie, who has in his career only really made one good movie, and has since become known as a one trick pony. It’s amazing he’s even still working let alone working with a mega-talent like Robert Downey, after torturing the world with Swept Away and sparing us to death with Revolver.
