Rebecca Hall, Rob Brydon and Kelly Macdonald are the latest addition to Sony’s upcoming mystery comedy, 'Holmes and Watson', starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as the iconic duo. Etan Cohen (Get Hard, Madagascar 2: Escape From Africa) will direct and write, and producing duties will be handled by Mosaic´s Jimmy Miller (Bad Teacher, The Other Guys), Gary Sanchez Productions´ Adam McKay (Anchorman, Ant-Man), Chris Henchy (The Campaign, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) and Jessica Elbaum (Step Brothers, Sleeping with Other People) and Columbia's own Jonathan Kadin (Psych, Rabbids).
Shooting for the film is set to begin in the first quarter of 2017, with a release date yet to be settled in 2018.
New faces for Holmes regulars
Brydon will play Scotland Yard man and frequent collaborator of Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, while Macdonald will play Holmes’ stalwart and long suffering housekeeper, Mrs Hudson. Hall, meanwhile, will play Dr. Grace Hart, described as the first female doctor to practice in London. They join Ferrell as Conan Doyle's master sleuth, while Reilly plays his loyal companion and confidant, Watson. Lauren Lapkis will also be playing a role, called 'Millie', though what purpose she will serve has yet to be disclosed by the film's production team.
Not the first Holmes comedy
With a character as popular and long lasting as Holmes, many interpretations exist, including comedic ones. These vary from simply being parodies, to all new stories with comic twists or sequels. Some of the most well known include: 'The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother' (1975), starring Gene Wilder and his 'Young Frankenstein' co-stars Marty Feldman and Madeline Kahn; 'The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It' (1977), starring John Cleese as a descendant of Holmes; a comedic reinterpretation of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1978) starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and 'Without A Clue' (1988), starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley as Holmes and Watson respectively, albeit now with the roles reversed.