“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Friday, October 3, 2008

Robert Downey Jnr: An Ideal Holmes?

I’ve never been much of a Sherlock Holmes man myself, but a press release came through yesterday that may be of interest, to wit:
LONDON, ENGLAND, October 1, 2008 – Principal photography is set to begin on location in London for the action adventure mystery “Sherlock Holmes,” being helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie, for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.
  Robert Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes’ trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson’s love interest, Mary.
  In a dynamic new portrayal of Conan Doyle’s famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.
  And Jude Law will be going from that set to the “Blitz” set in early 2009, by all accounts …

5 comments:

adrian mckinty said...

"acclaimed film maker Guy Ritchie"

I'd say something funny here, but I'm done with burning bridges.

Anonymous said...

A curious one. For me Jeremy Brett is the one and only Holmes, but RDJ could pull it off. Jude Law though...hmmm. I'll really have to climb up a bit higher on the fence for him.
Arlene

John McFetridge said...

Wait, I had to check, today isn't April 1st.

The Seven Percent Solution - after that, what else do we need?

And yeah, Adrian, keep those bridges intact, you never know... by the way, I just picked up the first Lighthouse book for my kids, looks good.

Anonymous said...

It's difficult to imagine an actor less suited for the part of Holmes, with the possible exception of Sacha Baron Cohen, who will of course also be playing the character next year (in another film). I have heard great things of Robert Downey Jr since his comeback from drink, drugs, and the usual celebrity ailments, however, so perhaps he'll surprise us yet.

I can see Jude Law making an excellent Watson, although I'm not so sure about Bruen's Brant. I always imagined Brant as thicker set, meaner, and uglier. We shall see...

Declan Burke said...

Downey as the opium-addicted, narcissistic, self-obsessed Holmes? Nah, it'll never work ...

I like Guy Ritchie's stuff, actually ... And Rocknrolla is pretty good, despite all the hacks murdering it because the guy had the audacity to marry Madonna.

Cheers, Dec