Russell Watson…

I say Holmes, an Australian Watson?

Guy Richie is leaving the gangster stuff behind for his next film. Way behind.

The next project for Mr Madonna is Sherlock Holmes and Robert Downey, Jr., is already signed up to play the esoteric detective.

That’s an unlikely bit of casting but it could just work – certainly when it comes to Holmes’ love of illicit substances.

However we’re struggling to see Russell Crowe as sidekick Dr. Watson.

With Russell’s role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Ridley Scott’s next film on hold – Ridley wanted green leaves and someone forgot about autumn – Russell suddenly has a window in his diary.

‘Russell wants the part, Guy wants Russell,’ a source revealed. ‘All they’ve got left to do is dot the i’s and cross the t’s.’

Rumour has it Guy’s take on Holmes will be less pipe, more fisticuffs, as he pitches the fictional detective and his assistant into a Richie-esque Victorian world. And, in the words of Downey, makes them ‘bad-asses’.

‘I’ve got to spend some time with Guy and I love his take on it,’ revealed Downey. ‘We’re both martial arts enthusiasts and in the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, he’s kind of a bad-ass and a bare-knuckle boxer and studies the rare fictional martial art of baritsu.

‘If you look baritsu up, they can’t even really tell you what it is, so it gives us a lot of leeway.’

The film starts shooting next month and will be based on a comic book which, er, hasn’t been published yet.

Why do we get the feeling the cartoon Holmes and Watson are suddenly going to start looking a lot like two movie stars?

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