We’ve had a lot of Sherlock Holmes adaptations over the years, and it seems we’re entering a new era of them. But this time, the twist is that they’ll have a young adult bent. Millie Bobby Brown is starring in Warner Bros.’ Enola Holmes movie, for instance, as Sherlock’s younger sister, and we’ve also now caught wind that Netflix is developing another teen-oriented Holmesian reboot titled Sherlock Junior.
According to our sources – the same ones who told us Disney is doing an Aladdin sequel and Lethal Weapon 5 is in the works with Danny Glover and Mel Gibson, both of which have since been confirmed – the streaming giant is working on a fresh, contemporary reworking of Holmes and Watson. The synopsis we’ve been given, meanwhile, teases the film focusing on a modern day young John Watson as teams up with British expatriate and his new neighbor, Sherlock Holmes, to solve a mystery involving a strange disappearance and a curse that a witch has placed on their town.
Sounds like a fun family-friendly adventure, right? This synopsis suggests that 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes might be a major influence, too. That also featured a boyhood Holmes and Watson investigating an apparent supernatural curse. Though not a hit at the time, the movie – produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Chris Columbus – is fondly remembered these days. The title also seems to be a reference to Sherlock Jr., the classic silent comedy starring Buster Keaton.
In any case, there’s definitely a lot for fans to look forward to over the next few years, as the previously mentioned Enola Holmes has completed production and is due to hit theaters sometime in 2020. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. is due to return for Sherlock Holmes 3, currently scheduled to drop in 2021, and maybe arriving sometime between those two will be this Sherlock Junior movie from Netflix.
