A frothy, all-ages mystery caper hardly seems like the type of movie that would find itself the subject of legal action, but the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have filed a lawsuit against Netflix’s Enola Holmes regardless. While the majority of Sherlock Holmes stories are in the public domain and can thusly be adapted by anyone any way they see fit, a handful of tales remain with the author’s estate, and they’ve decided that Henry Cavill’s take on the literary icon is far too emotional for their liking.
The lawsuit doesn’t really seem to hold much water, especially when there are countless other adaptations that have put almost unrecognizable spins on Sherlock, including Will Ferrell as a bumbling idiot in Holmes & Watson, Johnny Depp as a gnome in Sherlock Gnomes, animated series Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century and Michael Caine as a self-centered actor hired to impersonate the sleuth in Without a Clue.
Cavill’s performance is certainly warmer than we’re used to seeing from Sherlock Holmes, but he’s hardly wearing his heart on his sleeve and opening himself up to the world. In a recent interview, though, the 37 year-old was asked about the lawsuit and admitted that while he doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about, he’s hardly surprised by it, either.
“I mean, honestly, I don’t have a take on it. It’s a character from a page which we worked out from the screenplay. The legal stuff is above my pay grade. Honestly, nothing surprises me any more.”
The Superman star’s take on Sherlock has gone down a storm with fans, and he’s widely expected to return for the inevitable sequels, but he may have to approach the character from a different angle the second time around depending on the outcome of the lawsuit. Then again, if Netflix wins, then they could go ahead and make Enola Holmes‘ big brother as emotional as they want.
