There’s so much I don’t like about these posters. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there is little, if anything, I can be positive about for this film; in fact, I’m rather hoping that someone has an independent film in production, rather like what happened when Tom Cruise’s ‘War of the Worlds’ was released there was an independent production set in the Victorian age out at the same time.
Images are clickable.
Will Ferrell confirmed in an interview that his comedy take on Holmes and Watson has been delayed due to the Guy Ritchie film.
“It’s just a question of the Robert Downey Jr. one that they’ve just shot which I think will come out during Christmas or something like that, I think everyone just wants to see – well, that one’s probably going to be a hit franchise, and whether that is something you want to go up against, would it just inform the audience to allow for us to do a comedy version, or would it feel like oh, we’re just trying to copy them, even though I think we wrote our script before they did, I don’t know. Yeah, we’re thinking about it.”
Newsarama gave a very positive review to the manga ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ published by Self Made Hero. I’ve got my copy on order from Forbidden Planet, expecting it in the next few days.
The LA Times had an interesting article on the ‘new’ Sherlock Holmes. They talked to Barbara Roden who gave some interesting sound bites, for example
“We’ve had to rely on our parents’ or grandparents’ Holmes,” said Barbara Roden, a member of the Baker Street Irregulars fan group who runs Calabash, a press in British Columbia for Sherlockian research. “I’m hoping we get a 21st century Holmes, one for our generation.”
Finally, WB will be putting out a Sherlock Holmes app for the iPhone/iPod touch. No word on what that will be but my money is on it being a tie-in game.
Today is the one hundred and fiftieth birthday of a certain Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to celebrate I did consider operating the show wearing a deerstalker but I don’t own one and that would be corny. On Sunday 17th May, I took a trip with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London (on a 1947 coach) to the picturesque village of Minstead in Hampshire where we placed a reef at ACDs graveside.
Perhaps once they release the first theatrical trailer we’ll see a little more of Holmes being Holmes (or as much as Guy Ritchie and co. are interested in keeping) but for now the preview trailer does not allay my fears.
It’s been brought to my attention that something Holmes-y is going on during this years BBC Proms:
Monday 7 September 5.45pm (before Prom 69)
Victorian Season: A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians, and Steven Moffat, co-creator and Executive Producer of the forthcoming BBC drama Sherlock, talk to Matthew Sweet about the enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes and his special love of Mendelssohn.
Edited version broadcast on Radio 3 during tonight’s interval.
Now that is something worth listening to.
Self Made Hero, possibly known to some of you as the creators of ‘Manga Shakespeare‘ and winners of the 2008 UK Young Publisher of the Year award, are currently on a publicity drive to promote their new Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Adapted by Ian Edginton and illustrated by INJ Culbard, who have worked hard to give us a faithful adaptation of our favourite duo, not a calabash pipe, deerstalker or severe bumbling in sight! Interestingly, the Self Made Hero headquarters can be found on Upper Wimpole Street, a few doors away from where ACD lived and decided to kill of Holmes, as well as not too far from Baker Street.
Details from their press release:
A gnarled walking-stick; a missing boot; a neglected family portrait; a convicted killer on the loose; and the ancestral curse of a phantom hound… The great detective Sherlock Holmes needs all his powers of “elementary” deduction – as well as the staunch support of his devoted friend Dr. Watson – to solve the terrifying mystery of his most famous case.
In The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), Conan Doyle resurrected his great “specialist in crime” – and dramatized a lifetime’s obsession with the supernatural. Joining him in the ancient and treacherous landscape of the Devonshire Moors are a cast of gentleman scientists: as well as his faithful chronicler Dr. Watson, we meet another medic, Dr. Mortimer, a self-confessed “dabbler in science;” the lawyer Frankland, an amateur astronomer; and the Darwinian butterfly-collector Stapleton, whose mania for logical classification rivals Holmes’ own. But that is only half the story. For what can rational science do to help Sir Henry, the new incumbent of Baskerville Hall, escape the ancestral curse of the phantom hound that has claimed his uncle’s life? Why are the servants behaving so strangely? And who is the mysterious figure glimpsed through Frankland’s telescope? This atmospheric graphic novel adaptation – by Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard – will keep you guessing.
SelfMadeHero’s new Sherlock series will be formed by Conan Doyle’s four great detective novels: The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four and The Valley of Fear. The series launches in Spring 2009 with The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The illustrations are beautiful, just look at the images from HOUND (clickable thumbnails).
The images and the press release are from the media pack, available to download on Self Made Hero’s Sherlock Holmes site. Details of how to order a copy are also listed on the site and it’s currently priced at £14.99.
I’ve been going on and on about how Lionel Wigram needs to get off his arse and publish the graphic novel the new film is based on… well, the mystery of the missing publication has been solved. There is no graphic novel, Lionel Wigram hired noted artist John Watkiss to put together a series of images based on his (Wigram’s) idea for the story in order to sell the project to the studios. These are some of the images:
Whenever the topic of Holmes and sexuality is raised, there will be two books mentioned – ‘Naked is the Best Disguise’ by Samuel Rosenberg and ‘The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ being the other. Both, in my opinion, shouldn’t even be mentioned in a serious discussion as they’re both either intended to be ridiculous or just plain bad, you might disagree with me on ‘Naked is the Best Disguise’ but if a book can seriously argue that ‘The Red Headed League’ is about the prevention of pederast rape and is a re-telling of Sodom and Gomorrah then to be honest, it isn’t worthy of being taken with a straight face.
As for ‘The Sexual Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, I feel that Larry Townsend is responsible for why talking about Holmes and his sexuality is seen as something to be ridiculed and be offended by. Being one of the often mentioned seldom seen monstrosities I felt compelled to get a copy… and did so via that wonderful thing ebay (I can’t help imagine what 221B would have been like if Holmes had access to ebay). Well, the book certainly doesn’t disappoint as not only is it badly written but you have to laugh at some of the things Watson chooses to say about his old friend Stamford.
“We had engaged in a brief affair and I remember him particularly for his extraordinary rectal structure – his ability to relax and contract the sphincter muscles as if they were under a totally voluntary control.”
“… and also a clever bit of tailoring about his crotch. Well, I thought, Stamford was certainly never lacking in that respect, either. The memory was a pleasant one… large, deep-ruby coloured genitals… thick, wide penis with veins that twined about its shaft like the vines on a wall of brick… bollicks (sic) of a bull with the heady aroma of manhood aroused…”
As for Holmes, well he doesn’t really get much of a description as the first meeting is rather brief and Watson is whisked off to Baker Street for a very intensely described sex scene (needlessly to say, Holmes has large hands and according to an earlier conversation between the pair it ah… correlates 
). Not only that, but it turns out that Mrs Hudson is not only a famous and notorious courtesan but is also really a he and caused a nice scandal in France because of it.
All this by page twenty-two!
The rest of the book seems to be a retelling of ‘A Study in Scarlet’, presumably it will be more colourful than the original and you know what? I’m going to carry on reading it because it’s probably one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. Believe me, some of the badly written sex scenes that fanfiction writers so favour (usually of the heterosexual variety) can’t compete.
The other day ten more images where released from the new film, some people have expressed relief that the film is going for an ‘authentic’ look (but it’s worth noting that the picture with Holmes and Watson together in Baker Street is likely to be a publicity shot, unless otherwise stated) but what’s the point in going for an ‘authentic’ look and feel to the movie if you aren’t actually making a Sherlock Holmes film? The producers have been very open that they are making a James Bond of the 19th century film.
Whilst over a different theatre conducting what’s being described by my department as a “clandestine affair”, I got chatting to one of the guys there who described himself as having a passing interest in Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t like the ‘bromance’ aspect that’s been touted a lot, which is probably the opposite reason to why I’m remaining very sceptical about the whole thing.
You never know, it could be the one and only Guy Ritchie film that isn’t just a remake of every other film he’s made… unless we get ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Detectives.”
After twelve years of legal complications, Portsmouth Council is now in possession of one of ACDs manuscripts (’The Adventure of the Creeping Man’). From what I read in the news report, I’m a little confused; if Dame Jean Conan Doyle wanted the council to have the manuscript (it was in her will) why has it taken twelve years of legal stuff? Oh well, I guess legal stuff is always confusing and overly complicated.
Gameloft, who are very big in the mobile phone gaming world, have secured a deal with WB to produce a Sherlock Holmes mobile phone game based on Guy Ritchie’s film. I think I’m fairly fortunate that my phone isn’t something I’d ever consider gaming on (it can do it but I can’t see the point), it’ll probably come out for the iPhone and iPod Touch… if it’s free, sure I’ll play it but I’m not going to cash out.
Awhile back a preview review of the new Sherlock Holmes graphic novel was done by Robot 6 at the Comic Resource – needless to say, I’m still rather excited. You can pre-order it on Amazon, priced £18.99 (seems a bit steep but I’m sure it’ll drop in price!) I’m unsure on the release date but Amazon say 15th November. Also, just so you’re aware this isn’t the graphic novel the film is based on which as far as I know is yet to be released.
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