Stephen Fry- author, presenter, actor, and Britain?s most popular choice of dinner party guest has confirmed that he is to play Mycroft Holmes, older brother to Sherlock in the planned sequel to last year?s surprise hit film. We say ?surprise? because the film?s director Guy Ritchie spectacularly wrong-footed everyone in 2009 by making a competent blockbuster about the 19th century smug-bastard detective.
After a heroically terrible run of films, Ritchie has had something of a renaissance over the last few years.
First there was the marriage split. Whereas in 2000 us Brits were quite proud to have Madonna over ?ere, buyin? our mansions and shaggin? our mockneys, in 2008 the dream has gone a bit sour. We were quite content with her being a humourless career disco-cyborg but then she pretended to be English.
We don't even like it when Americans act English in films so we were never going to like that accent. Then it got worse and she became too American and adopted one of those Hollywood cults that only work on people who are that perfect combination of cash rich, spiritually empty and self-loving.
So in eight short years we went from thinking Guy Ritchie was living the dream to wanting him to save himself before he was sucked into the swirling vortex of bullshit that was building up around his missus.
All of a sudden the papers were full of stories about him escaping to the pub to be with his mates. The breakdown of his marriage finally got him those working class credentials he'd been searching for. Unfortunately there was still the sticky problem of his being a one-trick pony, and when your one trick is sound tracked by Ocean Colour Scene, it's time to panic.
Critics were rubbing their hands with glee when it was announced that Ritchie would be directing a big-screen version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?s famous creation.
Maybe Sherlock would be nicknamed ?Deerstalka? we wondered, and perhaps an east-end voiceover might describe Professor Moriarty as ?one nasty bastard?.
Sadly for them, the movie was a well-directed piece of throwaway Saturday night action. It may have made little sense but it looked the part and the action was well shot.
Which bring us back to present day. The wonderful Mr Fry announced on Radio 5 that he will be joining Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in the sequel, scheduled for a 2011 release. The film will also feature Noomi Rapace from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
So there.