Enola Holmes 2 director clears up why Sam Claflin didn’t return as Mycroft

(Image credit: Netflix)

Enola Holmes 2 director Harry Bradbeer has explained why Sam Claflin is not returning for the sequel. Claflin played Mycroft Holmes in the original movie, opposite Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes and Millie Bobby Brown's titular sleuth.

"Well, it was Sam's schedule that became very clear, so Sam was not going to be in it," Bradbeer told Collider. "We were very sorry that Sam couldn't be in this one. If there was a future one we would love to have him back. But that was just the practicalities of life."

Claflin has been busy working on Peaky Blinders, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Bagman over the past year. But despite the disappointment of some fans, Bradbeer did point out that the scheduling conflict wasn't all bad news.

"That then meant though that we had to then concentrate on Sherlock, which has some advantages in the sense that it becomes a sharp pencil if you like," he continued. "You're just having to work with that particular relationship. It had to be about Sherlock and Enola coming together. So I guess there are some blessings in having less pieces because you can do more with what you have."

Enola Holmes 2 sees Brown's protagonist taking on her first official case. Following in Sherlock's footsteps, she's opened up her own agency and is tasked with finding a missing girl – but she soon realizes that solving a case might be harder than it looks.

Alongside Cavill and Brown, Louis Partridge, Helena Bonham Carter, Adeel Akhtar, and Susie Wokoma are all back for the sequel. Harry Potter's David Thewlis and Bridgerton's Hannah Dodd have joined the cast as well.