Few fictional characters have the enduring legacy of Sherlock Holmes. Just over the past few years we’ve seen a wide variety of interpretations of the character. Now comes the latest interpretation by director Bill Condon, director of such varied film as Gods and Monsters and Twilight: Breaking Dawn, starring the beloved Ian McKellen as the aging detective. In a certain light, this film looks somewhat reminiscent of Billy Wilder‘s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes in that it looks to homage and deconstruct the character through an original story. With only faint clues at hand, we’ll have to wait until July 17th to piece together the mystery of Mr. Holmes.
The official synopsis for Mr. Holmes:
MR. HOLMES is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.