New Mr. Holmes Trailer Has Ian McKellen Set Out To Right Some Wrongs

Though Batman may stand as the modern-day pretender to the crown, it is Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes who has held the title of the World’s Greatest Detective for the longest period, appearing in numerous works of fiction since his inception back in 1887. Throughout this sprawling history, many, many actors have donned the monocle and top hat as the British genius, and that mantle has been passed to none other than Ian McKellen for Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes.

As a more mature, cantankerous rendition of the legendary sleuth, The Lord of the Rings star will play Sherlock Holmes when he is 93 years of age. Struggling to enjoy the remainder of his retirement, our protagonist soon sets out to right some wrongs left by his former parter-in-crime, John Watson, but it isn’t too long before the detective turns his attention to one problematic, unsolved case from a time gone by.

Based on Mitch Cullins’ 2005 novel A Slight Trick Of The Mind, script writing duties on Mr. Holmes will be handled by Jeffrey Hatcher alongside Condon, who has worked with McKellen before on 1998 drama film Gods And Monsters. For this latest production, the beloved actor will be joined by Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Hattie Morahan.

Ian McKellen will waltz onto screen once more as the titular detective when Mr. Holmes arrives in theaters on July 19 here in the States.

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.