Be afraid. Be very afraid: http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-12/12385406523110.xml&storylist=movies
Oh goodness. 
I saw that headline the other day and didn’t know what to think. I’ve only read a few Holmes stories but that sure doesn’t sound right. 
I like Downey Jr. a lot, but I’m a little ocncerned he’s turning into Johnny Depp - a guy who’s good, but is suddenly in EVERY MOVIE IN THE WORLD, whether he’s right for the part or not, because he’s a big star.
To quote Sheridan Whiteside, “I may vomit.”
I can understand taking a few liberties with a storyline to make it more interesting, but to completely redo a well-known character like this is ridiculous.
If that’s what you want to do, then come up with an original character that fits in with your concept. What’s next, a version of “A Christmas Carol” with Ebenezer Scrooge as a secret advocate for the rights of the poor?
If you pretend the characters have different names, it might be a semi-amusing action movie, but that’ll be a difficult stretch.
And think of all the people who will be disappointed when, having seen and liked the movie, they read some actual S.H.!
Oddly, I have no problem with this whatsoever. If it’s a good movie, it’s a good movie, and there’s no reason why Sherlock Holme: Action Hero can’t be a good movie. I mean, if they were adapting a specific Holmes story, that would be something else. But they’re adapting the character. We’ve seen so many different kinds of Batmans, James Bonds, Robin Hoods and whatnot, why not a different kind of Holmes?
You couldn’t possibly have more accurately put into words exactly how I feel about Johnny Depp. Not sure Downey Jr. is at that point yet, but for God’s sake, Johnny Depp is getting way overexposed and if it keeps up, he’s going to be TOO recognizable to pull off any good roles.
This makes me weep hot tears of rage and pain.
You know, at first I was taken aback by the tack the movie is taking, but really I think I agree with Alessan.
A re-imagining of the character might be fun and enjoyable. I’m not so much of a purist that I will denounce this character path outright. If it’s a well-written movie with a good story and good acting that changes the character up a bit, then that’s fine with me.
I am interested to see what kind of story is going to be told.
They’ve already had a gay Sherlock and a teenage Sherlock , why not a action hero Sherlock? Truthfully though while all these movie may be enjoyable there not about the real Sherlock Holmes.
Why not do a victorian era movie about a vaguely Sherlockian detective? Call him something else though.
They’re just trading on the name.
I’ll reserve judgment also. An action hero Holmes is perfectly acceptable, and turning him from a sexual celibate to a sexual reprobate might not be too objectionable if done right. Who knows, maybe he got clinically freaky with prostitutes between stories. It’s not like The Seven-Per-Cent Solution didn’t take some liberties.
Mark Frost should make a movie about his book “The List of Seven”.
Thanks. I’d been meaning to make this point for a while, because I think it’s too bad. Depp’s a good actor, but it’s gotten out of hand. He was not a good Willy Wonka, and over the course of the Pirates of the Carribean movies his character went from unique and amusing to self-parody. (Of course, so did the franchise, and it’s not all his fault.) In Sweeney Todd he was mostly trading in on his Johnny Depp-ness.
Anyway I’m dragging this off-topic.
I’m not saying Downey Jr. is there yet. The Soloist looks like Oscar bait, but we’ll see. Normally I’d probably avoid it, but the girlfriend wants to give it a shot. And I really like Downey, actually. He’s playing Sherlock Holmes next? Okay, I believe he can do that. An Australian guy pretending to be a black guy from Detroit? A weird enough idea to make me sit through a Ben Stiller movie! Bill Clinton? Larry Walters? Carrot Top? I think he could play them.
Having read the Wikipedia entry, I’m a little more optimistic - but as I said I’ve only read a handful of Holmes stories. I’ve got a book of them laying around someplace and maybe I’ll pick it up before the movie. I think Guy Ritchie is a yutz, but what they say they want to do with the character makes sense. I’ll probably end up seeing this.
Besides, the stories do mention, offhand, that Holmes is a badass fighter (some contact once mentions that he used to be a very effective pugilist). The fact that he never really utilized this particular skill-set doesn’t mean that him kicking ass would be out of character.
Bad ass fighter is fine. But he had some serious issues with women. Now, if you made a team-up with fighting Holmes and lady’s man Watson, that wouldn’t be too bad (Watson appears to have married twice, and he seemed to like the ladies), but Holmes with women, even The Woman, is just all kinds of wrong.
He was in Sweeney Todd and Willy Wonka because they were Tim Burton projects, and I’d be dollars to donuts Tim Burton always imagined Depp in those roles. It’s not that Depp is getting every movie in Hollywood because he’s a huge star and they want to cash in on him–he’s getting all the Tim Burton movies because Tim Burton is in love with him (in a very manly, platonic way).
Anyway, Depp is only in 5 movies over 2009, 2010, and 2011 so far. And surprise, surprise, one is a Tim Burton film.
I have no opinon on whether or not Holmes should be sexed up and turned into an action star. But I love RDJ, so I’ll follow him anywhere.
Maybe they should have done such an idea with a famous detective that’s image isn’t already so engraved in the minds of the people, like Auguste Dupin (of Poe’s work) who delights putting himself in the minds of criminals- and thus offer a reason to give him a wild streak.
'Course, Holmes called him out already in a conversation to Watson that he was an ‘inferior’ fellow, but maybe it was jealousy…
Absolutely. Holmes was indeed a boxer, so that’s not a problem. And Watson talks about his indefatigueable energy when on a case, so chasing people around in action sequences is no problem either.
But handcuffed naked to a bed? Hot love interest? C’mon, that’s just trying to be edgy for edgy’s sake. LAME. Now, if you wanted to make Watson Holmes’ unrequited love interest, that would be an really edgy re-interpretation that would be an interesting twist on the canon. This just sounds like boring Hollywood-ification.
True. Lately I’ve gotten really tired of Burton. Still, Depp wouldn’t have been in those movies if he’d said “no, I don’t think I’m right for the part” or “I’m busy” or “wouldn’t you like to work with someone else?” or “sorry, I’m driving into a tunnel CSSSH,” so you can’t blame Burton for the fact that Depp wasn’t very good or was wrong for some of those roles.
I’m a bit of a Holmes purist, and Jeremy Brett will always be iconic for me.
I have no problems with other adaptations as long as they have something of the spirit of the original. As mentioned above, Holmes has talents as a boxer, and indeed, if I remember correctly, actually lays out one character (“The Solitary Cyclist”). So action hero might be stretching it but if well done might be acceptable. But Holmes as a lover is ridiculous. His whole character is ascetic and celibate. This whole handcuffs to a bed thing is over the top. I bet Holmes could have picked the handcuffs anyway.
In "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton " he gets engaged to a maid at one point, while in disguise as a working man trying to elicit information. So he must have had something of a way with women. Though typically callous of him, he ditched her, naturally.