Guy Ritchie is assembling quite the cast for his upcoming Young Sherlock series, with Colin Firth announced today as the latest addition.
Inspired by Andy Lane’s Young Sherlock Holmes novels, the Prime Video series will be “an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.“
Hero Fiennes Tiffin will star as the young detective, alongside Joseph Fiennes and Natasha McElhone as Sherlock’s parents and Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an. Colin Firth will play Sir Bucephalus Hodge in Young Sherlock.
Guy Ritchie will executive produce the project and direct all eight episodes. “In Young Sherlock we’re going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they’ve never imagined before,” Ritchie said in a statement. “We’re going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love.” The series will be scripted by Matthew Parkhill.
Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, said, “This exciting, new chapter about one of the world’s best-known literary characters, will delight our global customers with its captivating storytelling. With the brilliant creative team, led by Guy Ritchie and Matthew Parkhill, we will explore untold mysteries of how young Sherlock found his way to a life of truth-seeking.“
Ritchie has plenty of experience with the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective, having directed Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. There’s been talk of a third installment for over a decade, but the project seems to be stuck in development hell. Ritchie said last year that the ball was in Downey Jr.’s court.