Stephen Fry is to play Sherlock Holmes’s brother in Guy Richie’s sequel to the 2009 blockbuster.
The actor and TV presenter will portray Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s lazy but more intelligent older brother.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are expected to again take the roles of the super-deductive-reasoning detective Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson.
The star of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, has also taken a part in the as-yet-unnamed sequel. It will be her first English-speaking character.
Often called a “'national treasure” in the UK and famous for his widely read twitter updates, Stephen Fry told Danny Baker on BBC Radio on Saturday, September 25th, that he would play the sleuth’s sibling.
The impetus to make another Holmes film will no doubt be buoyed by the success of the recent BBC three-part Sherlock series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
The first episode of the series beat the Hollywood buzz of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who were in the UK promoting their film Knight and Day. They dominated BBC2’s car program, Top Gear, but not the total UK viewing figures.
Over 7 million watched Sherlock, around 28% of the audience share on Sunday, July 25th, while Cruise and Diaz pulled in around 22%, according to BBC estimates.
The brother appears in four of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about the London-based detective. Mark Gatiss of League of Gentlemen fame played Mycroft in BBC’s televised Sherlock series.
