Sherlock Ritchie?

Apparently pleased with what he’s doing on the awfully titled ROCKNROLLA, Warner Bros. has hired director Guy Ritchie to direct SHERLOCK HOLMES and help relaunch the iconic character. The studio was perhaps less enthused with DOOMSDAY as they had signed with Neil Marshall early last year to direct. Though exact plot details remain under wraps, WB execs look to “reinvent” Holmes as less of a bookworm and more of an ass-kicking, adventure seeking spawn of Indiana Jones and Batman. Ritchie is currently working on a polish of the existing script by Tony Peckham, which was based on an upcoming comic book by Lionel Wigram. Ritchie’s return to the top ranks of Hollywood is impressive given that he was virtually written off after the legendary failure of SWEPT AWAY (his follow-up REVOLVER wasn’t exactly hot shit either). Somehow Ritchie convinced WB to sign on to ROCKNROLLA (that the studio wanted back in business with 300 star Gerard Butler didn’t hurt) and that work led to this big-budget SHERLOCK HOLMES adaptation. No word on when filming might begin but the studio was hot to trot back when Marshall was attached and they’ve already set a 2010 release so expect this to his the fast track.