Jude Law in talks for Sherlock Holmes

We’ve been burned before on the whole Dr Watson rumour flame, so you’ll pardon us if we’re sceptical, but it looks like Jude Law is close to playing the role for Guy Ritchie alongside Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes.

Law, who just finished shooting The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus with Terry Gilliam, is busy hammering out terms of a deal to appear as Downey Jr’s faithful sidekick, reports Entertainment Weekly .

For a while, it was thought that Russell Crowe might be eyeing the role, but though that was debunk, whispers persist that he might actually be interested in portraying Holmes’ nemesis, Moriarty.

Brawn and brains

Ritchie, who will start shooting early next month, is planning to make this Holmes the most action-orientated take on the character we’ve yet seen, based partly on Lionel Wigram’s upcoming comic book. So while he’ll still be a smart cookie, this Holmes won’t be afraid to break out the fists.

Oh, and it’ll still be in competition with the comedy version, starring Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen. We’re going to wait for the alternate-universe team-up where all four get together to fight crime. Trust us, it would be hilarious! Or hideous. We can’t decide.

Sam Ashurst is a London-based film maker, journalist, and podcast host. He's the director of Frankenstein's Creature, A Little More Flesh + A Little More Flesh 2, and co-hosts the Arrow Podcast. His words have appeared on HuffPost, MSN, The Independent, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and many more, as well as of course for us here at GamesRadar+.