In a bit of inspired casting, Sacha Baron Cohen has been tapped to play the title character in the Columbia Pictures comedy Sherlock Holmes. Will Ferrell will play Watson, Holmes’ partner in solving crimes. Tropic Thunder scribe Etan Cohen is working on the screenplay which is inspired by the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller are onboard as producers.
Sherlock Holmes is the second film to unite Baron Cohen and Ferrell. They first appeared together as rival drivers in the 2006 comedy hit Talladega Nights.
In a press release announcing the casting, Columbia Pictures president Matt Tolmach said, “Just the idea of Sacha and Will as Sherlock Holmes and Watson makes us laugh. Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious.”
Sacha Baron Cohen is currently working on a movie based on his Bruno character. He also recently completed voice work on Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, the sequel to the 2005 animated hit Madagascar.
Will Ferrell will next be seen in Step Brothers alongside his Talledaga Nights co-star John C Reilly. Ferrell’s working on the big screen version of the Saturday morning TV series, Land of the Lost.
Source: Columbia Pictures
