Mar 16 2007Sherlock Holmes to be Reimagined for Screen

Variety reports that Warner Bros. is working on developing an edgy new take on Sherlock Holmes, playing up the dangerous, adventurous aspects of the detective. This will be the first attempt to make the character edgier since 1992's The Awesome Adventures of Sherlock Homeboy and the Xtreme Watson Kidz, which ended in a fatal rollerblading duel between Sherlock and Professor Radical.

Exact storyline is being kept under wraps, but creative execs at Warners say they are looking for the "Sherlock" team to reinvent the sleuth and his loyal No. 2 Dr. Watson in much the same edgy way that Christopher Nolan has reimagined Batman for Warners.

Wigram's vision has Holmes losing some of his Victorian stuffiness and being more adventuresome, including playing up his skills as a bare-knuckle boxer and expert swordsman as he goes about solving crimes.

I like the idea of bringing back Holmes with the same spirit of reinvention as Batman Begins, but it seems like a mistake to actually change such a classic character, having been around for over a century. There's a saying in Hollywood that you can change Air Bud's sport, but he has to be a dog wearing a jersey. These producers would be wise to heed this warning.

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