If there is anyone who could play an awesome Sherlock Holmes, it is Ian McKellen. The man who is Gandalf and Magneto will portray the iconic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character in this year’s MR. HOLMES will do so in a very unique manner. Based on the novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind”, the film imagines the twilight years of a retired Holmes at the age of 93. From there, director Bill Condon will give us a very unique and dramatic spin on the classic tales.
We now have an official synopsis to go along with the first clip from MR. HOLMES.
MR. HOLMES is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective.1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.
Condon and McKellen previously worked together on the utterly brilliant GODS AND MONSTERS so I hope this film is even slightly like that great movie. If so, we could be seeing one of the better films of this year. Or, if Condon makes anything like his work on the final TWILIGHT films, this could be a forgettable waste. With McKellen and Laura Linney, I expect great things from this movie.
MR. HOLMES has no release date but will hit theaters in 2015.