Throughout the course of his long and illustrious career, Ian McKellen has played a great many iconic characters across film and theater, most notable of which are Magneto in the X-Men series and Gandalf for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchise. Now, thanks to Bill Condon’s atypical take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s super sleuth, the English actor is primed to play Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming Mr. Holmes.
The film centres around the ageing detective who, at the ripe old age of 93, struggles to enjoy the remainder of his retirement. Without his former partner-in-crime John Watson by his side, McKellen’s protagonist will have to call upon his world-famous wit and will to crack an unsolved case. Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Hattie Morahan round out the cast, and it’s understood that Condon’s feature will lift inspiration from Mitch Cullins’ 2005 novel, A Slight Trick Of The Mind.
Ian McKellen will don the top hat and monocle when Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes arrives in theaters on July 19. For now, you can share your thoughts on the upcoming film using the comments section below.
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.
