In 2009, British filmwriter/director Guy Ritchie shocked Sherlock Holmes purists byrebooting the classic crime-fighting character for a newgeneration of movie fans.
Gone were the traditional — and easily parodied — capes,deerstalker hats and pipes. Instead, as embodied by RobertDowney Jr., the famous detective was now part intellectualsleuth, part martial arts action-hero, and he was partneredwith a slimmed-down, pumped-up Watson, played by Jude Law.
The result? Elementary — a $525 million global box officehit. And now the team are back in the sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, set for release on Friday.
“It was such a cathartic experience the first time around,and such an enjoyable one, that we all just wanted to do itagain," said Ritchie, who made his mark with the flashy, indiegangster caper Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. This time, Holmes and Watson face a new adversary, thebrilliant but evil Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) who is scheming to bring down European governments and has threatened the life of a Gypsy fortune teller (Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, in her first English-speaking role).
Downey Jr. Said that while the actors had a tight script from which to work, ad-libs and on-set improvisation were very much the guiding force of the production.