Rafe Spall has been cast as Sherlock Holmes in a gritty new drama focused on the legendary detective. The Death of Sherlock Holmes is set to explore a “missing chapter” for the character between his supposed death at the Reichenbach Falls and his return a few years later.
The Sky series fills in those three missing years and takes place in the Swiss Alps, where an Englishman is discovered “barely alive in an icy mountain stream by local woman Alma and her young son, Franz”.
“When the village doctor is found murdered, villagers turn on the boy – leaving the amnesiac stranger as his only hope,” the synopsis adds. “Though the man remembers nothing, flashes of razor-sharp deduction betray a hidden past.
Silver Reel
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“As unsettling fragments of memory return, he must confront an unnerving question: who is he really? What starts as an isolated Alpine mystery soon opens into a far-reaching conspiracy that draws the man closer to the truth of his past – and the legendary name he may once have borne.”
As well as Spall, the series has also cast Transatlantic’s Deleila Piasko, with filming having already commenced.
The show has been created by Fallen’s Claudia Bluemhuber and Winter Palace’s Pierre Monnard (who both direct) and Platzspitzbaby’s André Küttel – the latter of whom has written it alongside Die Beschatter’s Simone Schmid.
“Audiences continue to be enthralled by the exploits of Sherlock Holmes,” said managing director of producers Sphere Abacus, Jonathan Ford.
Apple TV+
“This new iteration, created by our friends at Silver Reel and recounting Holmes’ completely unknown adventures during a mysterious and pivotal moment in Holmes’ life, is sure to delight viewers around the world.”
Sky’s group director of acquisitions Katie Keenan added: “We’re excited to come on board this smart new reimagining that opens up an untold chapter in the Sherlock Holmes story – anchored by the return of Rafe Spall to Sky in the leading role.”
The Death of Sherlock Holmes will air in 2027 on Sky and NOW.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.