Around four years ago, Doctor Who’s Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss set about realising their dream of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Victorian detective in the modern day. And thus born was the brilliant Sherlock, the sharpest, slickest and frankly best British drama around. The 2012 follow up to the more experimental first series was the Empire Strikes Back of second series, darker, grander but just as ingeniously complex as the original. Then earlier this year came season three, a tragically terrible bulking disappointment, chock full of poorly constructed twists and stripped of the smarts that once made the show great. Moffat divided attention between Sherlock and Doctor Who has derailed both of them.
It’ll be a long while until the series does return. Its co-lead Martin Freeman (The Hobbit trilogy, The World’s End, Fargo) has spoken out about when it will. “It looks pretty likely,” Freeman explains, breaking the silence of the tight-lipped BBC. “I’m speaking off-message here – if this was New Labour I’d get fired but a Christmas special is what I understand.” I’d expect this seasonal special to land in 2015 before another three part series taking shape for Summer 2016. Sadly, the third run of the show was a ratings smash as so there’ll be no rush to revoke the brainless format. The series will star Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Amanda Abbington, Mark Gatiss, Louise Brealey, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs and Andrew Scott.
Around this time of the year, those who don’t find blockbusters their thing may be lost for a film choice during this summer and may well turn their eye to the Oscar frontrunners arriving later in the year. Gone Girl, The Judge, Boyhood, Fury and Interstellar are proving popular choices but the one film everyone’s going crazy about is Foxcatcher, a wrestling drama building up to horrifying but secretive conclusion. Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) won Best Director and was nominated for Palme D’Or when the film caused a stir at Cannes this year and directs the stellar cast of Channing Tatum (The Vow, White House Down, 21 Jump Street), Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac, The Avengers, Now You See Me, Shutter Island), Sienna Miller (Stardust, American Sniper), Vanessa Redgrave (Julia, Mary Queen of Scots, Mission: Impossible) and Steve Carell (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Despicable Me, The Office). The brand new poster (above) has just been released.
Another film generating masses of hype is the new biblical epic from legendary British director Ridley Scott (Thelma and Louise, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, Prometheus, Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator). Exodus: Gods and Kings (which’ll go head to head with Foxcatcher at the box office) promises some of the biggest live action sets and battles in film history, paying debt to the lavish classics of grand scale of the ’60s such as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra and of coarse The Ten Commandments. Some awesome new stills have arrived, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, of the cast, including, Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Hustle), Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Great Gatsby), Aaron Paul (Need for Speed, Breaking Bad), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar, Aliens) and Ben Kingsley (Hugo, Gandhi).
Exodus: Gods and Kings – December 26th
Foxcatcher – December 25th
Sherlock Christmas special – December 25th 2015?
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