Colin Firth in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Preview:
- Colin Firth has been cast in a series about Sherlock Holmes younger days.
- Hero Fiennes Tiffin is leading the cast, with Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone and Zine Tseng also aboard.
- Guy Ritchie is producing the series.
If you’re a frustrated fan of Guy Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movie duo (which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the title character and Jude Law as sidekick Doctor Watson), the wait for an oft-talked-about, but not-yet-made third entry still rankles.
So perhaps you’ll be happy to lean that the director has since pivoted in a new ‘Holmes’ direction, setting up a young Sherlock series. The show now counts ‘Kingsman’ veteran Colin Firth among its cast. And no, it has nothing to do with 1985’s Barry Levinson movie about the character’s younger days.
Related Article: Robert Downey Jr. Spearheading ‘Sherlock Holmes’ TV Spinoffs in Development at HBO Max
What’s the story of the ‘Young Sherlock’ series?
Robert Downey Jr. in 2009’s ‘Sherlock Holmes.’
The new show, picked up by Prime Video, will adapt Andy Lane’s ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ book series. Eight books were published between 2010 and 2015, which means plenty of potential storylines.
Lane’s books follow a teenage Holmes in the 1860s and 1870s and are officially described as “the action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.”
Here’s what Ritchie had to say when the show was announced:
“In ‘Young Sherlock’ we’re going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they’ve never imagined before. We’re going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love.”
Who Will Appear in the ‘Young Sherlock’ Series?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin –– who worked on Ritchie’s most recent movie, ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare‘ –– has landed the lead role as Holmes.
Joseph Fiennes –– yes, Hero’s uncle –– will be Silas Holmes, Sherlock’s father, who is described as a scientist, explorer and self-made businessman. Natascha McElhone will play Cordelia Holmes, his devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan.
Zine Tseng has an unannounced role, while Firth will play a character named Sir Bucephalus Hodge; details on the character have yet to be announced. We’re going to go with either wise mentor or utter cad, and honestly, we’d love to see Firth break bad.
Who is Making the ‘Young Sherlock’ Series?
Guy Ritchie on the set of ‘The Gentlemen.’ Photo: Kevin Baker/Netflix. Copyright: © 2023, Netflix Inc.
In addition to Ritchie (who is so far listed as an executive producer but will likely direct at least a few episodes), the show has Matthew Parkhill, writer of small screen dramas such as ‘Deep State’ and ‘Rogue’ on board to write and run it.
When will the ‘Young Sherlock’ Series Premiere?
Prime Video has not yet announced when the show might arrive.
(L to R) Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in 2011’s ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.’