MOVIE NEWS – The Watson series will see the sidekick take centre stage as the sole solver after the murder of Sherlock Holmes.

It’s time to put Dr. Watson in the spotlight! According to Deadline, CBS is looking to give the Sherlock Holmes story a new lease of life by placing the sidekick in the lead role in a new series called Watson. The series, described as a medical drama with detective elements, will be written by Craig Sweeny, who previously worked on Elementary. Aaron Kaplan Kapital Entertainment and CBS Studios are behind the project. Sweeny will executive produce alongside Kaplan, Brian Morewitz and Shäron Moalem MD, PhD.

A synopsis for the Watson series has also been released, which you can read below.

“A year after the death of his friend and partner Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty, Dr. John Watson resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Watson’s old life isn’t done with him, though – Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.”

“Watson is a medical show with a strong investigative spine, featuring a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to addressing the greatest mystery of all: illness, and the ways it disrupts our lives.”

The concept of killing off Sherlock Holmes is not entirely new, though it is certainly outside the norm for most adaptations.

The original author, Arthur Conan Doyle, once wrote a short story, “The Final Problem” (1893), in which Holmes was killed in a battle with Moriarty. Fans were not pleased, and after the reader dissent, the character was later brought back in the story “The Hound of the Baskervilles” to pick up where he left off. It remains to be seen whether fans will be more receptive these days to a Sherlock Holmes story that kills off the popular character at the outset.

In any case, Sherlock Holmes is still breathing in other upcoming adaptations. Henry Cavill will play the character in Enola Holmes 2, reprising his role in the 2020 original. Millie Bobby Brown will lead these films as Sherlock’s sister. Although the famous detective is out of the limelight here, he is still alive. Enola Holmes 2 is set to premiere on Netflix on November 4, 2022.

For years, there have also been rumours that Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes in a new Sherlock Holmes film.

There are also rumours that a spinoff is in development at HBO Max, which, if true, could also suggest that another Sherlock Holmes film is in the works. It’s hard to say what the future of the film series or the character will be, but it seems only a matter of time before he returns to the big screen. Whether Sherlock Holmes 3 will ultimately be made before Watson, it’s clear that fans would welcome both.

Source: Deadline