Ian McKellen Shows How A Once-Razor-Sharp Sherlock Holmes Would Have Aged, Without Losing His Edge
Sherlock Holmes has always enthralled the world with his deductive reasoning and sharp wit. However, what happens when the world-renowned sleuth starts to age? What happens when time catches up to the talent and starts to gnaw at the once-baffling abilities of thinking beyond the obvious? Sir Ian McKellen might be able to answer these perplexing questions about the greatest fictional detective in a just-announced movie.
The 75-year-old actor will be seen playing Sherlock Holmes in a film, simply titled Mr. Holmes. The interesting aspect is Sir Ian will portray an ageing Sherlock. Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes will have a much older version of the detective. Sir Ian McKellen will be seen as a 93-year-old Sherlock who is called back from retirement. The actor tweeted his look in the film and you have to admit, Sherlock would have never looked so sharp without Ian McKellen portraying him.
Over 70 actors have previously played Sherlock Holmes. Now he's 93 years old and it's my turn. #MrHolmes pic.twitter.com/B9HkUgfkCv
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) July 9, 2014
The plot of the film is as intriguing as the persona. The film takes place in the not-so-far-back 1947, where McKellen plays a Holmes who is enjoying a quiet and leisure retirement. To keep him company are his housekeeper and her son. Needless to say, the son has been bitten by the detective bug, but is quite amateur and needs a lot of work. Unfortunately this time, Sherlock doesn’t have his reliable side-kick Dr. John H. Watson or as he is fondly addressed as “My dear Watson,” reported Hypable.
The story is based on a novel by Mitch Cullin, where Sherlock Holmes must solve the greatest mystery of his career without Watson at his side. Moreover, Sherlock also has to battle signs of age. Sir Ian will have to play the part of a genius who has started to lose his remarkable mental skills to aging, though he must fight his degenerative condition to solve the case, reported Empire.
The film was originally titled A Slight Trick of the Mind, hinting at the internal battle that Sir Ian as Sherlock must fight and win, but Ian McKellen’s Tweet reveals that the new title is officially Mr. Holmes. Perhaps the wildly famous television series Sherlock has something to do with the change of title?
Sherlock Holmes might just be one of the most loved fictional characters. Armed with superior deductive powers and reasoning, countless novels have shown him solving cases that were simply classified as unsolvable. No wonder that over 70 actors, not including Sir Ian McKellen, have stepped into the shoes of the great detective.
[Image Credit | Twitter]
