14 DAY TRIAL // Late last year, even before “Sherlock Holmes” hit theaters, buzz was already starting to pick up that director Guy Ritchie had thought of the film as the bases for a new franchise and that the idea of making a sequel to it had been on his mind all along. Confirmation soon came that a part 2 would also be made, with many outlets throwing Brad Pitt’s name in for the villain.
The other day, word got out that, while Pitt was surely out of the question because Ritchie’s film did not have the budget for him, Oscar-winning Daniel Day-Lewis was a sure member of the cast. Admittedly, the actor had been approached by the director and his people and offered the part of the villain Moriarty, and he’d already said yes. As expected, the news sent fans in a frenzy of joy, especially since Lewis can pull off quite an impressive villain.
Sadly, it’s not true, SiFy News reports. “Actor Daniel Day-Lewis has denied reports that he has been roped in to star in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ sequel. It was reported that the Oscar-winner had signed up to play the supersleuth’s nemesis Professor Moriarty, opposite Robert Downey, Jr., in the follow-up directed by Guy Ritchie, which is expected to hit cinemas next year. However, Day-Lewis’ manager insists the report is ‘not true,’ reports IMDB,” the aforementioned e-zine notes.
As we also reported in September 2009, based on the initial reaction to footage from the film at Comic-Con, Guy Ritchie had decided to bring an old collaborator of his on board for the sequel Brad Pitt, who starred in “Snatched” as a foul-mouthed gypsy. Soon, the director realized he couldn’t afford to have Pitt as Moriarty, rumor has it, even though the first film netted over $510 million at the international box office. What is certain at this point is that Robert Downey Jr. will be returning as the unconventional Sherlock, while Jude Law will reprise the part of Watson.
“Robert Downey Jr. has dropped out of Cowboys & Aliens, the Dreamworks / Universal sci-fi project that would have reunited the actor with his Iron Man director Jon Favreau. The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times but only speculated on why Downey had left the project, which pits Old West cowboys and indians against a group of aliens with superior technology. Now, a source inside the production tells EW.com that the star has a scheduling conflict with a Sherlock Holmes sequel,” The Hollywood Insider was saying in January 2010, as we also reported.
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