It must be the month for Sherlock Holmes sequel casting news: following on from news that Noomi Rapace and Stephen Fry are joining the film, it would seem we have now a Professor Moriarty. And his real name is Jared Harris.
Harris is currently best known for playing uptight Brit-with-hidden-depths-and-charm Lane Pryce on the excellent Mad Men. But he’s been seen in movies as diverse as Far and Away, Natural Born Killers, Mr Deeds and, more recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Extraordinary Measure****s. And Harris has also snagged a part in the new take on Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy.
It’s the Spy casting that gives us pause on the news about him joining Holmes – you’d think the two projects would clash. Chances are he can do both, though. It’s not like he’s the lead in either. But he does seem like a surprising choice given the big names that have been touted in the past, including Gary Oldman, Javier Bardem and Daniel Day Lewis.
Still, he’s a great choice, since he can bring the requisite amount of sinister slipperiness to the role and still be charismatic.
While there has been no official announcement from Warner Bros. just yet, Latino Review’s scoop has been backed up by Deadline, so it appears we’ll be watching Harris outwit and threaten Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in December 2011…