Rumor: Is Brad Pitt in Sherlock Holmes as Prof Moriarty? [UPDATE]

By Kevin Coll • August 17, 2009 • 1 Comment

Warner Bros. have released a statement following the Brad Pitt/Sherlock Holmes rumor:

“The report in London Daily Mirror is completely inaccurate. Brad Pitt is not joining the cast of Sherlock Holmes and we’re extremely pleased with the production of the film. As planned, it will be released on Christmas Day, 2009. In order to complete the movie, we’ve scheduled a few days on set to shoot a couple of additional scenes, obtain pick-up shots, and perfect some of the visual effects elements, all of which is standard filmmaking practice.”

The Daily Mirror has reported that none other than Brad Pitt has been drafted in last-minute to star alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the role of Moriarty for Guy Ritchie’s retelling of Sherlock Holmes.

According to the tabloid, studio execs (Warner Brothers) were peeved at the fact Ritchie opted to exclude the most famous Holmes’ arch enemy from the film and have ordered the director to include him in the film. So as a Hollywood director, due to wrap on production imminently what do you do? Simple, you call up your best mate, Brad Pitt who shined in your last big hit, Snatch.

“Filming with Brad is due to start this week in London and on location at Cliveden House – the venue beside the Thames at Berkshire is the backdrop for Moriarty’s home. A source on the set tells us: “It’s a huge coup to have Brad joining the cast. ”He has worked for Guy before and said if he could, he would do anything to help out. ”

“It was an oversight in the film not to make a bigger deal about Moriarty. He is mentioned as Holmes’ arch enemy, but the bosses wanted Guy to make more of him. Jude Law (who plays Dr Watson) and Robert Downey Jr (Holmes) have already shot their scenes. But now that 10 extra days have been added to shoot the new ones, they may be called back for a day or two. “Brad is expected to be filming all over London. Cliveden House has been earmarked as a location for Moriarty’s home.”

“There will be scenes shot at Royal Victoria Dock, Pontoon Docks, Pinewood and Chatham Docks in Kent. And they will be using clips around City of London to set the scene. “It’s going to be a full-on couple of days, but now the release date has been pushed back they might just do it in time.”

I think it is great that they could get an A-lister like Pitt at the last minute but such a pivitol role? I mean logic tells me that his part as Moriarty, assuming all this is true, will be brief and for a set-up on a subsequent film. That being said is Pitt the best guy to play Moriarty? Professor Moriarty first appeared in Doyle’s Holmes story “The Final Problem” and is described by the hero as:

“…man of good birth and excellent education, endowed by nature with a phenomenal mathematical faculty. At the age of twenty-one he wrote A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem, which has had a European vogue. On the strength of it he won the mathematical chair at one of our smaller universities and had, to all appearances, a most brilliant career before him.

But the man had hereditary tendencies of the most diabolical kind. A criminal strain ran in his blood, which, instead of being modified, was increased and rendered infinitely more dangerous by his extraordinary mental powers. Dark rumours gathered round him in the University town, and eventually he was compelled to resign his chair and come down to London…”

Prof. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind that rivals in intellect to Holmes and I do not know if I could see Pitt playing that but then again, he is better actor than given credit, so assuming this tab is true, this is a suprise to say the least. Orginally Russell Crowe was sought out for the role until Ritchie debunked the casting as well as the character being in the film. Our British correspondent, Craig, also running the story checked with his sources and tried to do some digging but so far nothing to report on that end so rumor mill it is…for now.

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