Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly on joining forces for Holmes and Watson

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are set to join forces once again for the upcoming HOLMES AND WATSON, a comedic take on the famed detective which finds Ferrell playing Holmes and Reilly playing Dr. Watson, except this time, they're stupid. We finally got our first real look at the Etan Cohen film back in September, and while the trailer was met with a mixed reception, there's certainly potential for the film to join the ranks of Ferrell and Reilly's other collaborations.

John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell recently spoke with The New York Times, and Reilly revealed that he was a Sherlock Homes superfan even before this project came about, saying "I could tell you a lot of the different stories already off the top of my head. The basis of our relationship in the movie is the funny relationship things that go on in the original stories." Will Ferrell added that they were "laughing at the fact that Sherlock is somewhat dismissive of Watson in many of the stories, not in a hateful way, but in an analytical way." Although the pair admit that they're not going to win Accent of the Year with their portrayals of the literary icons, Will Ferrell did take inspiration from Jeremy Brett, who played Holmes in a series of Granada Television films from 1984-1994.

We both worked pretty hard. I kind of stole a page from the [British television] version with the actor Jeremy Brett, who would all of a sudden just start yelling for no reason: “Now, the reason why the safe is unlocked IS BECAUSE NO ONE HAS THE COMBINATION!” He just had these random accelerations in the way he spoke.

As far as how Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stack up to their other characters, such as STEP BROTHERS' Dale and Brennan, Reilly said that "They’re both very mature in a way and completely immature. They’re Victorian gentlemen, but they have some work to do in the relationship department." Although the pair are quite skilled at figuring out the most intricate scenarios in the terms of crime, they're on a "third-grade level" when it comes to talking to women or the ins and outs of the dating world.

There have been quite a number of adaptations of Sherlock Holmes in recent years, and Will Ferrell descibed an interaction with Mark Strong, who played the villain in Robert Downey Jr.'s first SHERLOCK HOLMES movie, which seems to sum up how many people are feeling about the film.

John and I went to a Chelsea soccer match and ran into Mark Strong. He’s like, “What are you working on in town?” I’m like, “I’m here with John C. Reilly, and we’re doing Sherlock Holmes and Watson.” The look on his face was like a mixture of “Oh my God, that’s going to be amazing,” and “How dare you.” He was so perplexed. I saw eight different thoughts go through his head.

In addition to Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, HOLMES AND WATSON also stars Ralph Fiennes, Rebecca Hall, Hugh Laurie, Rob Brydon, Kelly Macdonald, and Steve Coogan. HOLMES AND WATSON will hit theaters on December 21, 2018.