LONDON — Will Sherlock Holmes next cross intellects with an inglourious basterd?
Earlier this year, it was rumoured Brad Pitt — who starred in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch — would turn up as arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty in the inevitable sequel.
The filmmakers, though, aren’t saying if Moriarty will be in a follow-up — or who might portray him.
“The question’s not answered yet, so we’ve left that to ourselves to answer,” says producer Joel Silver.
Still, he acknowledges, “I think it potentially has franchise capabilities, which I think is very good.”
In the movie, opening Christmas Day, Moriarty appears only as a shadowy figure with a disguised voice.
“I think we tried very hard to allow the audience to embrace the fact there may be more of a story,” Silver says.
“Hopefully the audience loves it and embraces it, and we can continue our journey.”
And just in case, while the makers are cagey in public about the franchise’s future prospects, it is known a screenplay for a second film is being written.
In the meantime, without a Moriarty to antagonize Holmes, the new film relies on Mark Strong (Body of Lies) as the satanic Lord Blackwood.
“By not making it Moriarty, you create something much more interesting because you couldn’t have a Moriarty who dabbled in the occult,” Strong says. “It’s in a way more inventive.”
