Another day, another ridiculous casting rumour shot down. Russell Crowe will not be stepping into Dr Watson's shoes for Guy Ritchie's version of Sherlock Holmes, the director said last night.
Speaking at the premiere of his new film RocknRolla in Leicester Square, Ritchie made it clear he has not yet secured an actor to play the sidekick of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth, who will be played by Robert Downey Jr. Australian tabloid The Sydney Herald Sun had suggested otherwise.
"I don't have a Watson," Ritchie told reporters. "Somebody just told me that I have Russell Crowe lined up but that's news to me. I suspect that hasn't happened and I'm still looking for my Watson."
The British director did confirm, however, that he will start shooting in just a month's time and will draw widely from the four novels and 56 short stories written by Conan Doyle rather than focusing on one particular tale.
Ritchie's Holmes is set to compete with a comic version headlined by Sacha Baron Cohen as the great detective and Will Ferrell as Dr Watson. The former will be an all-action adaptation emphasising Holmes' skills as a boxer and swordsman, with the latter playing its subject matter for laughs.
The Baron Cohen version is being scripted by Tropic Thunder author Etan Cohen and will be co-produced by Judd Apatow. via
