Well, the rumor Russell Crowe was going to play Watson in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes turned out to be false as Guy Ritchie said, “Somebody just told me that I have Russell Crowe lined up but that’s news to me. I suspect that hasn’t happened and I’m still looking for my Watson.” Well, notice he didn’t say Crowe hadn’t been cast at all and the boys at LatinoReview are now hearing there may be another role for the Aussie actor.
The new rumor has Crowe playing Professor Moriarty, a fictional character who is the best-known antagonist (and nemesis) of the detective Sherlock Holmes. Widely considered to be the first true example of a super villain, Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the “Napoleon of Crime” (T. S. Eliot would later use the same phrase, in homage, to describe Macavity in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats). Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was referring to Adam Worth, a true-life (though non-violent) model for Moriarty.
LR also says Gerard Butler has already passed on playing Watson leaving the role wide open.
For now this Crowe news remains a rumor as LatinoReview isn’t even willing to call it a sure thing yet so stay tuned.
