Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are starring in a comedy about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and now Hugh Laurie and Ralph Fiennes have been added to the roster.
Back in August, we reported that Holmes and Watson was in development with Ferrell starring as the infamous detective and Reilly playing his loyal sidekick. Given these two actors, it’s no surprise the movie is set to be a comedy.
The Wrap is now reporting that Laurie (House) and Fiennes (Harry Potter) have been added to the film in undisclosed roles.
Etan Cohen wrote and will direct the film, which has already started production in London.
As many of you know, there is plenty of Sherlock Holmes to go around right now. The BBC’s Sherlock series 4 recently premiered, Elementary is still going strong on CBS, Mr. Holmes debuted starring Ian McKellen, and Robert Downey Jr. has confirmed a third Sherlock movie is in the works for him.
Ferrell and Reilly have a proven track record with Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, but the fact of the matter is that audiences are getting a bit burnt out on Sherlock at the moment.
Given this is a comedy, it might be just the twist another Holmes property needs to be successful, but the creative minds behind this film will need to pull out all stops just in case.
Adding Laurie and Fiennes to the roster garners a certain amount of star power for the movie, which will definitely help bolster interest. But will it be enough?