SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS features the return of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective and martial artist — trained in the 19th-century hybrid of jujitsu called “Bartitsu”. Produced by Taiwanese American Dan Lin (named one of “10 Producers to Watch” by Variety in 2008), the highly anticipated action/adventure sequel features Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returning as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson.
About “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”
Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.
Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty.
Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history. Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel also reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers.
In her first English-speaking role, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” plays a mysterious Gypsy named Sim, who becomes allied with Holmes and Watson in their quest to stop Moriarty. Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s decidedly eccentric older brother.
Returning from the first film, the cast also includes Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler; Kelly Reilly as Watson’s bride, Mary Morstan; Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade; and Geraldine James as Holmes’s long-suffering landlady, Mrs. Hudson. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.
Ritchie once again collaborated with the behind-the-scenes team from the first movie, including director of photography Philippe Rousselot, production designer Sarah Greenwood, editor James Herbert, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and composer Hans Zimmer.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”
Opening nationwide on December 16, 2011, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.
About the Sherlock Holmes character
For generations, Sherlock Holmes has embodied the gift of seeing beyond the obvious—of discerning the truth from within the haze of deception. Created in the late 19th century, in a series of stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the brilliant detective has become one of pop culture’s most enduring figures, whose adventures are among the most widely read in history.
Sherlock Holmes: Martial Artist
In the films, as in the books, both Holmes and Watson know their way around a fight and their skills are frequently tested. Holmes is a skilled martial artist; this propensity links him with both the star and director of “Sherlock Holmes,” as Downey and Ritchie have practiced martial arts for years, and worked together to create Holmes’s distinct fighting style. “Doyle called it Baritsu in the novels, which is tied to a 19th century hybrid of jujitsu that is actually called
About Dan Lin
Dan Lin is the CEO of Lin Pictures, a production company based at Warner Bros. Its primary focus is producing event films and television series for a global audience. Since his company’s formation in 2008, Lin has produced films that have grossed over $975 million in worldwide box office sales. He is currently producing “Gangster Squad,” a period crime drama, starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and slated for release in Fall 2012. He is also producing the animated “Lego” movie, being written and directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. He also has a number of projects in development, including “Gods and Kings,” “Godzilla,” “Yucatan,” and “ACME.” Lin previously produced the hit mystery thriller “Sherlock Holmes,” starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams under the direction of Guy Ritchie. Lin also served as a producer on the thriller “The Box,” starring Cameron Diaz, and Ricky Gervais’s comedy “The Invention of Lying,” starring Gervais and Jennifer Garner. Lin also executive produced the action thriller “Terminator Salvation,” starring Christian Bale, and Robert Rodriguez’s family film “Shorts.”
Prior to forming Lin Pictures, Lin served as Senior Vice President of Production for Warner Bros. Pictures. During his eight-year tenure at the studio, from 1999 to 2007, he oversaw the development and production of such films as Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award®-winning drama “The Departed”; “10,000 BC,” directed by Roland Emmerich; “The Aviator,” directed by Scorsese; “Alexander,” directed by Oliver Stone, “TMNT”; “Invasion”; “Unaccompanied Minors”; “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed”; and “Torque.” In September 2008, Lin was named one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch.” He had been profiled on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Next Generation List” in 2005. Lin serves on the Board of Directors for the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment and is a mentor for both the Producer’s Guild of America and the Center for Asian American Media. He received his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1999.