Move over Sherlock; your arch nemesis is plotting to get his moment in the spotlight. And the source material comes from Kim Newman, writer, critic and Dungeon Master of this parish, as his Professor Moriarty: The Hound Of The D'Urbervilles is in development as a TV series.
Playground Entertainment has grabbed the rights to the 2011 book, written to be the memoir of Colonel Sebastian Moran, the trusted lieutenant of the calculating professor (think Watson to Sherlock). The story follows criminal mastermind Moriarty and the debauched, politically incorrect Moran battling the forces of law and other criminals, acting as a dark mirror for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's heroes.
It's early days for the project – there's no word on who might write, direct or act in the potential show, though we could see Kim overseeing scripts – but it's certainly one we're looking forward to seeing come to life.
Newman's most recent TV work was collaborating with Mark Kermode on the latter's Secrets Of Cinema BBC Four series. In related Empire news, our own Chris Hewitt's Tweets I Wrote About Playing FIFA In My Pants remains sadly untouched by anyone. Which might be for the best.
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