Jude Law as Dr. Watson and Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock Holmes Photo: Alex Bailey
"He was probably the first superhero, an intellectual superhero," Robert Downey Jr. says of his latest character, Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective, Sherlock Holmes. Quoted in a Warner Brothers press release, Downey continues: "He was, and probably still is, one of the most recognizable icons on Earth, so much so that a lot of people actually thought that Sherlock Holmes was a real person. The more you look into Arthur Conan Doyle's books, the more you see what a rich character Sherlock Holmes is. He's very adept at so many things: he plays violin, he's a martial artist, a boxer, an expert single stick fighter and a swordsman of sorts. He has a strong moral code in helping good guys catch bad guys, so he has dedicated his life to being a consulting detective. He doesn't do it to show everyone how smart he is, or that he has figured everything else out when they haven't; he's actually a crusader."
“Sherlock Holmes,” directed by Guy Ritchie, opens on Christmas Day. Ritchie most recently wrote, directed and produced the crime comedy "RocknRolla," featuring an international ensemble cast, including Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges. The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival before opening in the UK at the top of the box office. "RocknRolla" went on to win the Empire Award for Best British Film.
For Ritchie, having Downey in the title role became the key to unlocking a new interpretation of "Sherlock Holmes." "In my opinion, Robert is the perfect Holmes," the director is quoted as saying in the Warner Brothers press materials. "He's American, but his English accent is flawless and he has an international feel to him. In his own way, Robert's also a bit of a genius. He's tremendously smart and quick-witted, and is very comfortable playing a character like Holmes without any artifice or pretension."
Jude Law as Dr. Watson in "Sherlock Holmes" Photo: Alex Bailey (c) Warner Bros 2009
In many ways, the casting of Jude Law as Watson was every bit as crucial as that of Downey as Holmes. "It seems impossible to imagine anyone else being Watson once we cast Jude," says Ritchie. "I wanted a good-looking Watson. I didn't want him to be subservient or inferior, but rather a bit of a hero with an equal partnership with Holmes. I believe that's to a degree what Conan Doyle was really after."
Holmes would not be who he is without Watson, his enabler, his collaborator, his friend. As with Holmes, the filmmakers say that the Dr. Watson of the books is far more of a dynamic character than the one depicted in past movies and television series. "Watson has sometimes been portrayed as a sort of bumbling fool against Holmes's great, lofty genius," says Ritchie, "but that really isn't the case. Watson is a much more significant individual than that. They really are a team."
Rachel McAdams is cast in the role of Irene Adler, who only appeared in the classic Holmes short story, “A Scandal in Bohemia,” but remains one of the most memorable supporting characters in the original canon. Watson said of her “To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman.”
Robert Downey, Jr. and Rachel McAdams in "Sherlock Holmes" Photo: Alex Bailey
Doyle’s character actually bested Holmes. If he was going to fall in love with any woman, you’d have to imagine it would be her.
"Rachel struck me as the ideal Irene," says Ritchie. "She portrays her with this fantastic benign facade under which is the serpent of the most nefarious nature. She's not to be trusted at all. Even when she's got a blade to your throat, she smiles. Her sweetness is a front she uses to be as efficient in a man's world as she is."
The official synopsis for the movie reads:
Sherlock Holmes has made his reputation finding the truth at the heart of the most complex mysteries. With the aid of Dr. John Watson, his trusted ally, the renowned "consulting detective" is unequaled in his pursuit of criminals of every stripe, whether relying on his singular powers of observation, his remarkable deductive skills, or the blunt force of his fists.
But now a storm is gathering over London, a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted...and just the challenge he's looking for.
After a string of brutal, ritualistic murders, Holmes and Watson arrive just in time to save the latest victim and uncover the killer: the unrepentant Lord Blackwood. As he approaches his scheduled hanging, Blackwood--who has terrorized inmates and jailers alike with his seeming connection to dark and powerful forces--warns Holmes that death has no power over him and, in fact, his execution plays right into Blackwood's plans.
And when, by all indications, Blackwood makes good on his promise, his apparent resurrection panics London and confounds Scotland Yard. But to Holmes, the game is afoot.
Blackwood is an original character. There have been persistent rumors that Professor Moriarty, a character created by Doyle but immortalized by Hollywood may be featured in the sequel, which Warner Brothers acknowledges is in the works. Rumors that Brad Pitt would play the part were denied a couple of months ago, but Pitt’s name continues to surface.
In any event, Warner Brothers is hoping that the character of Sherlock Holmes, who was first adapted for the silent movies, has the makings of a twenty-first century franchise. Why not? That other British hero franchise, you know, the spy dude, is still going strong...
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