Sir Ian McKellen's Mr. Holmes Gets a Distributor

Mr. Holmes, the upcoming Sherlock Holmes film starring Sir Ian McKellen as an aging Great Detective, has been picked up by Miramax for domestic distribution in the U.S.

The move reunites McKellen and director Bill Condon, who previously worked together on Gods and Monsters. Condon has ventured into more commercial fare over the past few years, with uneven success. He directed the final two installments of the Twilight Saga (Breaking Dawn Parts 1 & 2) and followed that up with the Benedict Cumberbatch flop The Fifth Estate.

The film, based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin and adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Hatcher, is currently in post-production. 

"Mr. Holmes is a smart, exciting film that has attracted the highest caliber director, cast and producers, and it is a perfect fit for Miramax," said Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., Chairman of Miramax. "We are very pleased to acquire U.S. distribution rights to Mr. Holmes and to have the talented and insightful Roadside Attractions team as our partner for U.S. theatrical distribution." 

"Bill Condon and Ian McKellen's collaboration on Gods and Monsters continues to inspire us," said Roadside Attractions' Co-President Eric d'Arbeloff, "so we are very excited to join with Miramax in releasing Mr. Holmes, their fantastic take on the world's favorite master sleuth."

This story begins in 1947 when an aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from Japan, where, in search of a plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now in his remote seaside farmhouse Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees with only the company of his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits an unsolved case which forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it's too late. 

Additional cast includes Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Roger Allam, Philip Davis, Frances de la Tour and Milo Parker, who plays Roger, the housekeeper's son.