Netflix has confirmed the release date of the new Sherlock movie featuring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill. Enola Holmes will arrive on the streaming platform Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown plays the titular role in Enola Holmes. Superman actor Henry Cavill joins the cast as her older brother, Sherlock Holmes, while Peaky Blinders actor Sam Claflin plays the other brother, Mycroft Holmes.
To announce the release date, Netflix posted a short promo with a garbled message on social media. It doesn’t take a detective to crack the note as it’s easy to unscramble the big secret:
alone loshme reeebtpms wnettyrhitd
🕵️♀️🔍 pic.twitter.com/wprgDt03Kk— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) August 17, 2020
What is this Sherlock movie about?
Enola Holmes is based on the young adult novels from author Nancy Springer. The book chronicles the adventures of Sherlock’s 14-year-old sister. Springer released six stories from 2006 to 2010.
According to the IMDb synopsis, the film will center on Enola outsmarting her two older brothers as they track their mother’s whereabouts when she goes missing. Enola ditches finishing school, against her brothers’ will, and wears disguises as she scours London for clues. This story is based on the first book, but it’s likely the movie will also tackle some aspects of the other books.
Aside from Brown, Cavill and Clafin, Enola Holmes will also feature Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes, their mom. Harry Bradbeer directed the movie from a script adapted by Jack Thorne. Filming for this Sherlock spinoff took place in July 2019 in London and Bedfordshire.
Legendary Pictures produced the movie and was subsequently sold to Netflix in April. The streaming platform released a photo of the Holmes siblings to announce the movie’s acquisition. Enola Holmes was supposed to have a theatrical release but COVID-19 ruined this plan.
Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes have a younger sister — and this September, she’s taking her first case.
Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Sam Claflin star in Enola Holmes pic.twitter.com/etnfJLArFm
— Netflix (@netflix) June 25, 2020
Controversy from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate
Ahead of the movie’s release, however, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, filed a lawsuit against Netflix, Springer, the director, writer, Legendary Pictures and Random House Publishing. The lawyers alleged that the film violates Doyle’s copyright. Doyle has 10 unreleased stories that have similar elements as Springer’s novels — and to some extent, the Netflix film.
A court declaration in 2010 made Sherlock Holmes partially a public domain. However, Doyle’s estate argued that the complex characterization of the famous fictional detective gave him “multiple personalities.” One of these personalities inspired the Sherlock character in the new movie, which is still protected by Doyle’s ownership and copyright.
While Enola Holmes is a fun and pretty straightforward movie, the details surrounding the lawsuit remain amusing but complicated. However, it seems the film’s release isn’t affected as Netflix confirmed it will be ready on the platform in September.
Image used courtesy of DFree/Shutterstock