Henry Cavill is our new Sherlock Holmes. The Superman actor has boarded Legendary Pictures' upcomingEnola Holmes, which will center on the iconic detective’s much younger sister, played byStranger Thingsstar Millie Bobby Brown. While the older Holmes won’t be the center of this particular story, Cavill is still filling some very big shoes, as this is one of literature’s most enduring and beloved characters.
According to several new reports, 36-year-oldMan of SteelstarHenry Cavillhas locked down a deal to portray Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming adaptation of The Enola Holmes Mysteries book series. We initially learned about the project back in January 2018, when it was announced thatMillie Bobby Brown, whose star is very much on the rise, was set to take on the lead role. Developments on the project have been slow to come in the time since, but now it seems that things are heating up. It was also recently revealed that Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,Ocean’s 8) is set to portray Elona’s mother in the movie.
This is just the latest major project that Henry Cavill has boarded. The actor is also set to headline Netflix’sThe Witcherseries, which arrives later this year. He was also seen last year alongside Tom Cruise in the hitMission: Impossible - Fallout. Meanwhile, it’s unclear when, if ever, we’ll see him suit back up as Superman. Warner Bros. hasn’t revealed any specific plans to bring the character back in a movie anytime soon and it’s clear Cavill isn’t content to just wait around. He’s happy to move on to other things in the meantime.
Henry Cavill joins a long list of actors who have portrayedSir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective. The list includes Christopher Lee, Michael Caine, Ian McKellen, Peter Cushing, Roger Moore and, more recently, Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. RDJ is set to reprise the role inSherlock Holmes 3. Will Ferrell also portrayed the character in last year’s flop, Holmes and Watson.
TheEnola Holmes Mysteries booksmade their debut in 2006. Written by Nancy Springer, Enola was created specifically for the series, but also includes familiar characters from the Sherlock Holmes canon. There are six books in the series overall, which has been met with critical acclaim. The first book,The Case of the Missing Marquess, and the fifth,The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, were nominated for Best Juvenile Mystery at the Edgar Awards.
Harry Bradbeer (Killing Eve) is in the director’s chair for the adaptation. The script was adapted by Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials). Production is expected to begin this summer. No release date has been announced by Legendary just yet. However, with filming getting underway shortly, we would expect to see it debut in mid-to-late 2020. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news was previously reported byVariety.
