Although Sherlock fans are known to love a good mystery, they aren’t so great with patience. Thankfully, a recent Comic-Con panel has clued audiences in on exactly what the latest Holmes’ adaption will be about.
The panel featured producers Robert Doherty and Carl Beverly, as well as co-stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. CBS’ Elementary has been the subject of wild speculation, since it shares the Sherlock spotlight with BBC’s adaption and contains the genderbend of John Watson to Joan Watson.
Among the questions centering the original Sherlock mythos, star Jonny Lee Miller answered that he wasn’t stressed over becoming the great detective, and that “so many interpretations over the years actually takes the pressure off.” He added that he spoke with BBC’s critically acclaimed Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, and that the actor was very supportive.
When an audience member also noted the repetitive stories of Sherlock that have been told, Lucy Liu made sure to inform them of Elementary’s deviations, particularly concerning Sherlock’s drug addiction.
“It’s been swept under the rug,” she stated. In a Behind the Scenes video clip, it’s shown that Joan Watson was hired by Sherlock’s father for precisely that, calling herself his “Sober Companion” for his post-rehab period.
Miller added in that he feels that the relationship between Joan and Sherlock is the driving force behind Elementary.
Robert Doherty expanded on this in the panel. Concerning the potential for romance, Doherty told the audience:
“I recognize that it’s a challenge to avoid, but it’s not a “Will they or won’t they?”’ that’s not the intention. It’s really about trying to honor the spirit of the stories and the material which showed an incredible friendship that grew over time.”
Personally, I love these snippets of information on Elementary. As an avid reader of the books when I was younger and an earnest fan of the subsequent adaptions, Elementary has my hopes raised. Despite naysayers voicing their dissent based off their loyalty to the BBC adaption, I can’t imagine why one would pledge allegiance to a singular retelling of Doyle’s stories, rather than embracing what these adaptions are meant to do – innovate and reconnect with our current society.
It is interesting to note that a new character named Detective Javier Abreu, played by Manny Perez, is shown to play a role similar to Inspector Lestrade from the original series. So not only are we getting an Asian female Watson, we may also be getting other familiar characters with a New York twist. Because Elementary takes place in a diverse metropolis, it is refreshing and realistic to see different races being portrayed for this story.
The pilot episode was screened at the panel and received enthusiastic responses, so as of now, my hopes are quite high.
Do you think you’ll be reacting similarly for the Fall premiere? Or are you passing on Elementary? Leave your thoughts below.
Published: Jul 13, 2012 08:31 pm