Sherlock Holmes: Downey Jr. and Etan Cohen Square Off

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 4, 2008

You may not know the name Etan Cohen, but he’s probably made you laugh. And no, he is not a Cohen Coen Brother or Ethan Cohan. His name is Etan and he’s the guy behind Tropic Thunder, Idiocracy, and several episodes of King of the Hill, among others. He also happens to be writing the Sacha Baron Cohen (pictured left) and Will Ferrell Sherlock Holmes flick which will feature the comedic duo as, obviously, Holmes (Cohen) and Watson (Ferrell).

While speaking with Etan, none other than Robert Downey Jr. poked his head into the room and glared faux-menacingly at him. They playfully exchanged jabs at each other over Sherlock Holmes, each calling the other “The other Sherlock Holmes project.” Because, you see, Robert Downey is set to portray Holmes in a Guy Ritchie directed version of the classic super sleuth.

While clearly focusing on the same character, the stories will have their differences. Etan Cohen’s will be a legitimate Victorian mystery based on several Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shorts and not an out-right comedy. Clearly, with two of the top comedians in film today, they aren’t shying away from the humor, but the film will be taken more seriously than, perhaps, many are expecting.

The version that Downey Jr. is attached to will be directed by Guy Ritchie and is based off of an upcoming graphic novel by Lionel Wigram. This adaptation, Downey said, will not be particularly stylized and will take place in 1891, so it’s not an updated or a re-imagining as some seem to believe. Downey had this to say about the project:

… you go back to the real truth of Sherlock Holmes, [which] is that he’s a lot more broad and less stoic than I remember seeing the detective - he’s a bare knuckle boxer and he’s a martial artist and he’s a big weirdo, which is why I said “I’d love to do this!”

Fans of literature will also remember that, in addition to tales of his boxing and martial artistry, Holmes was not opposed to striking criminals with his cane, discharging firearms, breaking the law in search of justice, and dabbling in tobacco, morphine, and cocaine. Holmes has been watered down over the years, but the sleuth from the books was a bit of a bastard and it is this version of Sherlock Downey and Ritchie aim to bring to the screen.

Two Sherlock Holmes flicks, clearly taking divergent paths to the big screen. As a bit of a bastard myself, I’m throwing my tobacco into Downey Jr’s pipe (what does that even mean?) and looking forward to that, which will hit theaters in 2010. The Etan Cohen penned, Judd Apatow produced competing project is still in very early development, though we can guesstimate a 2010 or 2011 release.

Which Sherlock Holmes flick are you more excited for?

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