Colin Firth Joins Prime Video's Upcoming 'Young Sherlock' Series
Colin Firth in "Operation Mincemeat"
(Photo: Netflix)
It's a truth universally acknowledged that we can't get enough of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. From the BBC's contemporary Sherlock to Holmes-adjacent properties like Netflix's Enola Holmes and The Irregulars, there are more adaptations of and takes on the character than ever before, and deerstalkers and pipes are no longer required. Even The CW is getting into the act with its David Thewlis-led Sherlock & Daughter slated to be part of the network's midseason lineup.
Prime Video's forthcoming Young Sherlock may be the latest in a long line of adaptations, but it aims to focus on a very different aspect of the great detective story: his early years. And it's now landed its most recognizable star yet: Perennial period drama favorite --- and Oscar winner -- Colin Firth (The Staircase).
Directed by Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen), the series is based on Andy Lane's Young Sherlock series of novels, which follow the future great detective from age fourteen to his days at university. Since this Sherlock is meant to be in his late teens and/or early twenties in the world of the show, one has to assume it will focus primarily on the later books in the series. However, it could still pull characters and plot points from earlier installments or age up its mysteries as needed.
Firth is set to play a character named Sir Bucephalus Hodge. Details about the role are being kept quiet but with a name like that....is there any way he isn't playing a villain? Just saying it feels like a safe bet.
Colin Firth in "The Staircase"
(Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max)
Here's the series synopsis,
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.
Young Sherlock isn't Ritchie's first attempt at taking on the Conan Doyle canon. His feature films Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows won critical and popular acclaim for their bantery scripts, their deft mix of period details and contemporary flourishes, and the excellent chemistry between stars Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. (A third film in this franchise has been reportedly "in the works" for years, perhaps this Prime Video series is the closest we're ever likely to get.)
Alongside Firth, the series stars buzzy young actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare) as young Sherlock. Fiennes Tiffin's uncle Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale) is set to take on the role of Sherlock's father, Silas, while Natascha McElhone (Hotel Portofino) is Sherlock’s mother, Cordelia.
Matthew Parkhill (Rogue) is adapting Lane’s novels and will serve as showrunner on the series. Parkhill and Ritchie are also executive producers, alongside Simon Kelton, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Maxwell, Dhana Gilbert, Colin Wilson, and Marc Resteghini. Harriet Creelman is co-EP.
Young Sherlock is expected to arrive in 2025.
