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Guy Ritchie: Revisiting Sherlock Holmes for new TV series was 'completely fresh'

Guy Ritchie at the World Premiere of Young Sherlock held at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 24 February, 2026 in London
Guy Ritchie - "Sherlock Holmes occupies a very unique space, both physical and intellectual, which allows me to delve into an infinite pool of creative juice"

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie has said revisiting the character of Sherlock Holmes for his upcoming TV series was "completely fresh" for him, and he called making the show "a particularly fun ride".

The 57-year-old is the director and executive producer behind the upcoming Prime Video series Young Sherlock, based on the novels by Andrew Lane, which follows the origin story of the fictional detective.

Ritchie, who previously directed two Sherlock Holmes film adaptations starring Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr, has praised Sherlock Holmes as a "very unique" character who provides an "infinite pool" of creativity for storytelling.

Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the world premiere of the action-packed sleuth series, the director said: "Sherlock Holmes occupies a very unique space, both physical and intellectual, which allows me to delve into an infinite pool of creative juice.

"For me, there are very few characters in the history of literature that occupy that space."

He continued: "[Sherlock Holmes] is an endless resource, a creative bounty that you could draw from just simply from the DNA of [Arthur] Conan Doyle's original premise."

Hero Fiennes Tiffin at the World Premiere of Young Sherlock held at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 24 February, 2026 in London
Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the young Sherlock Holmes in the Prime Video series

Author Arthur Conan Doyle created the eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes in the late 19th century, and his best-selling book series has since been adapted into many different forms, including the popular BBC TV series titled Sherlock.

Ritchie first visited the character with his 2009 film, titled Sherlock Holmes, and its 2011 sequel, titled Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Young Sherlock, based on Andrew Lane's best-selling book series of the same name, will follow the crime-solving sleuth, played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, at 19 years old, solving his first case during his days at Oxford University.

When asked what his favourite part of the upcoming series was, Ritchie said: "If there is going to be a favourite part, what it is, is the making of it.

"I enjoy making most of these things - but this was a particularly fun ride."

He added: "I try and make these things to keep myself entertained.

"And I have quite an immature mind."

Ritchie wore a simple black turtleneck under a burgundy velvet suit to the event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London.

He also spoke about how the series will aim to bring the popular character of Sherlock Holmes to a range of different audiences.

Ritchie said: "I'm trying to cross two worlds of [the series] being relevant to the contemporary setting, because this is an original story and simultaneously has classical things.

"It's like trying to balance between having a fruitcake that has nutrition and has enough icing on it as well."

Young Sherlock will be available to watch on Prime Video from Wednesday, 4 March.

Source: Press Association

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