Sherlock Holmes 3 Casts Peaky Blinders Star Paul Anderson

The long-developed third film of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law’s Sherlock Holmes series has reportedly cast Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson. Sherlock Holmes 3 has been rumored for a long time, as the second film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, came out in 2011. The film was first mentioned back shortly after the sequel’s successful release, and they quickly found a writer to pen the Sherlock Holmes 3 script. In 2013, Law assured everyone it wasn’t forgotten, then, in 2015, a producer said they were still working on said script. There were a few more hiccups in the next few years, until Warner Bros. Pictures finally set a release date for December 2020. While the film did experience another delay to December 2021, Sherlock Holmes 3 seems to finally be getting under way.

The two leads, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, have always been interested in returning and confident that the project would come to fruition. They are currently in negotiations for Sherlock Holmes 3, but are expected to reprise their roles. In the meantime, both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have continued their successful careers. Downey Jr. has lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe to its current success, and is reportedly done with his role as Tony Stark, at least for the time being. Jude Law has had roles in films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald, and even played his own Marvel character, Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel. 

Reported by The Illuminerdi, Sherlock Holmes 3 has its first officially attached star in Peaky Blinder‘s Paul Anderson. His character in Peaky Blinders is Arthur Shelby, the tough, flawed Shelby sibling who, despite being the eldest, follows his brother Tommy’s lead as his right-hand man. The announcement of his casting gives us some of the first official information about the plot and characters of the upcoming film. Paul Anderson is reprising his role from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as Colonel Sebastian Moran, a close ally to Holmes’ main enemy, Moriarty, who was portrayed by Jared Harris. 

As for what else is known about Sherlock Holmes 3, it isn’t much. It is unknown at this time if Harris will be returning as Moriarty in the upcoming film, as his character appeared to have died at the end of the previous film, and Paul Anderson’s Moran will reportedly be trying to get revenge on Holmes for Moriarty’s death. Rachel McAdams might be returning as Irene Adler, and the setting is said to be Old West San Francisco. Along with a new location, Dexter Fletcher, who most recently directed Rocketman, is attached to direct the film, while both previous films were directed by Guy Ritchie.

Paul Anderson’s character of Arthur Shelby is very much an anti-hero, while Moran is a more straight-cut villain. Given that he is the first announced cast, he will hopefully have a larger role in Sherlock Holmes 3 than in the previous film. While this could’ve very likely been the plan all along, Anderson’s role might also have to do with his increased recognition due to his leading role in a prestigious show like Peaky Blinders. Either way, this is great news for people who have been waiting years to hear anything about the upcoming film.

Source:  The Illuminerdi

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Devon Forward
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Devon is a screenwriter and editorial writer who lives in Los Angeles, and has recently joined the Screen Rant writing team. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and fell into editorial writing after graduating. Devon’s search for a welcoming community of other film and television admirers led her to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in entertainment writing. Whether it’s recapping weekly shows or writing news articles, she loves the work she does. Along with Screen Rant, Devon’s written for Pure Fandom and Young Hollywood, where her work includes features and interviews with actors and other people in the industry.
All types of characters and stories are welcome, though Devon holds a strong love for history and fantasy. She is an avid reader, and her favorite books are the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. Along with that, Devon doesn’t hide her love of comics, especially Marvel, and she’s eagerly awaiting Kate Bishop’s small-screen debut. Find her on twitter @dev4wrd.

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