While we wait for him to return as Superman in the DCEU, Henry Cavill is trying a different iconic character on for size, as he’s set to play the one and only Sherlock Holmes in Netflix’s much-hyped family movie Enola Holmes. Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown leads the film in the title role of Sherlock’s equally-brilliant little sister, but Cavill still plays a key supporting role as the Great Detective, and it’ll drop on the streaming service this Wednesday, September 23rd.
Directed by Fleabag‘s Harry Bradbeer from a script by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Enola Holmes is inspired by the young adult novel series by Nancy Springer. The plot sees Enola embarking on her own investigation when her mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter) goes missing. Sam Claflin also stars as eldest Holmes sibling Mycroft.
As fans may know, Cavill is the fourth superhero movie actor to play Sherlock over the past decade. Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., starred in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Benedict Cumberbatch, meanwhile, led BBC’s Sherlock before going on to join Downey Jr. as Doctor Strange in the MCU. And then there’s Sir Ian McKellen, who appeared in 2015’s Mr. Holmes after playing Magneto in the X-Men universe.
Still, Cavill was a left-field choice to portray the detective, but fans quickly fell for his take when they got their first look at him through promo pics and trailers. The Man of Steel star’s already revealed that his Sherlock will be a much softer soul than usual as well, thanks to the influence of his sister, explaining that he won’t possess any of the “misogynistic” tendencies that the literary icon arguably does.
But tell us, are you excited to catch Henry Cavill in Enola Holmes this week? Sound off in the comments below.