Normally studios wait until they’re released the first movie in a potential franchise before they decide whether to make sequels, but Warner Bros is obviously so confident about the success of Guy Ritchie’s take on the legendary Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, that they’re already developing a follow-up.
Although normally at this stage you’d expect talk of a sequel to be pure speculation and rumour, Variety has confirmed that Warner is indeed working on another Holmes movie and is in talks with Kieran and Michelle Mulroney to write it (the scripting duo also working on Warner/DC’s Justice League movie, which is still in the works). Although not mentioned in the Variety article, THR’s Risky Biz Blog is saying that the studio has already had preliminary talks with Brad Pitt about playing the evil Moriarty in the movie, although there’s no deal in place yet.
A month of so ago there was a lot of speculation that Pitt would appear in a cameo as Moriarty in the first Holmes movie, and while the studio has denied it, many are still suggesting that it could well happen. However those who know the script say that while Moriarty is in the first movie, he’s bathed in shadow and unrecognisable, but that doesn’t mean that if Warner can sign Pitt up for the sequel, he can’t step out of the shadows at the end of the first flick.
Or course, if Sherlock Holmes tanks, all plans for a sequel will disappear, but getting things started so early does mean that if it is a hit, the studio can get the second one onto cinemas as soon as possible. The first Sherlock Holes movie is due in cinemas on December 26th.