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Guy Ritchie snatches Brad Pitt for Sherlock Holmes reshoot

Ali

17th August 2009

Looks like Guy Ritchie might have another stinker on his hands: Warner Bros. executives have apparently insisted he shoehorns in villain Moriarty to upp the bad guy quota. Ritchie's preference? Brad Pitt.

Though this is a story reported by The Mirror, a tabloid second only to The Sun in the bullshit stakes, I can see this rumour having some substance. It seems a little odd to reboot a classic character such as Sherlock Holmes without also introducing his nemesis. Even Batman Begins trailed The Joker's appearance before the end credits.

I suspect the 10 days of reshoots Ritchie has been granted will be to cobble together a teaser for a sequel featuring Moriarty, rather than a susbtantial rewrite to the existing screenplay. Don't expect Mark Strong's villainous role of Lord Blackwood (1, 2, 3, 4, get with the wicked) to be scaled down at all.

What is surprising is the choice of Pitt as Sherlock's oldest foe. The connections are obvious - Pitt starred in Ritchie's Lock Stock follow-up Snatch - but Pitt has never felt the 'mercenary for hire' kind of actor before.

I guess with this and his overly-comic turn in Inglourious Basterds, he's becoming less picky about his roles - it's hard to see the role of Moriarty to be anything other than a beard-stroker in this picture anyway.

Update: Warner Bros have already denied the above report, so it's definitely happening.

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