Ian McKellen Suits Up As Sherlock in the New Drama ‘Mr. Holmes’
Between Robert Downey Jr.’s action-hero detective and Benedict Cumberbatch’s modern-day sleuth, there’s no shortage of Sherlock Holmes stories out there. Still, how can you say no to Ian McKellen in a top hat and beekeepers’ outfit?
Behold the first trailer for Mr. Holmes, the new drama from Dreamgirls director Bill Condon that features McKellen as the 93-year-old legendary detective working on one last mystery. Holmes, in this adaptation of the 2005 novel A Simple Trick of the Mind, is an unwilling celebrity, thanks to the exaggerated stories of his exploits authored by his partner Dr. John Watson. He’s also a reluctant retiree thanks to a case he bungled 30 years prior. The screw-up still sticks in his craw however, and since he does his best to keep his failing memory intact, he returns to that last, haunting case.
Laura Linney co-stars in the film as Holmes’ cook and housekeeper, while Milo Parker plays her young son and Holmes’ protégé.
The film got good reviews after its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, with Variety calling McKellen “predictably superb” and Condon’s direction “elegant.” No release date has been set.
