2020’s Enola Holmes was originally produced by Legendary to be a theatrical release, but it ended up dropping on Netflix due to the pandemic. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Sherlock Holmes spinoff, however, as it broke the platform’s records to become one of the biggest streaming movies of that year.
With its long-awaited sequel set to follow before 2022 is out, star Millie Bobby Brown has reflected on the surprising social media reaction that tipped her off to the franchise being a huge hit in the first place.
Speaking to Total Film(via Games Radar) to preview Enola Holmes 2, which sees her reprise her role as the eponymous ingenue detective opposite Henry Cavill as her more famous big brother, Brown admitted that she originally had no idea just how popular the first film would be. While she always loved the character, she wasn’t sure everyone else would connect with Enola just the same.
“I really didn’t think it would be as successful as it was. Of course, it resonated with me so much – that’s why I did it.”
So it came as quite the shock when, in the wake of its Netflix release, Brown found a Hollywood heavyweight had slid into her DMs to offer her congratulations. Namely, Blake Lively, who just had to tell the Stranger Things actress that her daughter loved the film.
“I thought, ‘There’s so much potential here.’ But I didn’t realise how much potential. People like Blake Lively messaged me, saying, ‘My daughter wants to be Enola Holmes.’ It started to sink in how much it resonated with everyone else.”
Clearly, when Blake Lively lets you know she and her kids love your movie, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that it’s a big deal. Let’s hope that Brown gets another sneaky message from the former Gossip Girl star to tell her the ever-growing Reynolds-Lively clan enjoyed the sequel just as much.
Also featuring Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, and new addition David Thewlis, Enola Holmes 2 comes home to Netflix on Nov. 4.
Published: Oct 10, 2022 11:33 am