Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law; Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu; Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; but how about Will Ferrell And John C. Reilly?
Deadline is reporting that the comedic duo – famed for their dynamite turns in both Step Brothers and NASCAR pic Talladega Nights – are attached to Sony’s Holmes and Watson, a brand new take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s endearing characters that has been simmering on the fringes of development since 2008.
Then, Nights co-star Sacha Baron Cohen was set to star opposite Will Ferrell as John Watson, but the initial pitch by Etan Cohen failed to gain any significant traction. Fast forward to now and with Cohen in line to direct – welcoming Guardians of the Galaxy star John C. Reilly in place of Cohen – things are beginning to fall into place rather quickly, with Sony reportedly keen to craft the first full-blown comedic take on the legendary sleuths.
Meanwhile, Cohen, who got his break through writing duties on Tropic Thunder and Idiocracy, made his directorial debut with the middling Get Hard. Here’s hoping his latest collaboration with Will Ferrell is much more entertaining.
Holmes and Watson is eyeing a production start soon after Thanksgiving weekend, meaning Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly could well be waltzing onto screens as the world’s worst detectives in late 2017.