Sherlock Holmes Sequel Threatened by "Homoerotic Subtext"

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
45,698
1
0
Sherlock Holmes Sequel Threatened by "Homoerotic Subtext"


The estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has threatened to kill any potential sequel to the hit film Sherlock Holmes [http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Robert-Downey-Jr/dp/B001OQCV6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1282154668&sr=1-1] if it suggests that the famous detective and his associate Dr. Watson were secretly gay lovers.

In a recent appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, Sherlock Holmes star Jude Law [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000375/]. He also asked the audience whether or not Holmes was in fact "a very butch homosexual."

The comments may have been nothing more than the sort of light-hearted back-and-forth commonplace on late-night talk shows, but they still didn't go over well with Andrea Plunket, who controls the U.S. copyrights on Sir Arthur's famous detective tales. She took Downey's words seriously enough that she issued a warning to director Guy Ritchie [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005363/]: If he pursues that angle in the next film, she'll pull the rights to the property.

"I hope this is just an example of Mr. Downey's black sense of humor," she said. "It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books."

Source: IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/news/ni1362807/]


Permalink
 

high_castle

New member
Apr 15, 2009
1,162
0
0
Seriously? I'm a huge fan of the books and won't see this movie because it looks to treat them pretty lightly. So it's okay that Downey can make Holmes a brawler when in canon he was a passifist, but inserting gay subtext (some of which might already be there if you talk to some literary scholars) crosses the line?

*facepalm*
 

Nouw

New member
Mar 18, 2009
15,615
0
0
And I agree. I don't want homosexual Holmes and Watsons
 

Katherine Kerensky

Why, or Why Not?
Mar 27, 2009
7,744
0
0
If they did suddenly make him homosexual, it would destroy Holmes...
The great detective (Not Great Mouse Detective, that was Basil) would be ridiculed...

However, I wouldn't argue if they decided to introduce Arsene Lupin into a film with Holmes :3
 

nolongerhere

Winter is coming.
Nov 19, 2008
860
0
0
I am personally disapointed that I will be forced to continue to search the internet to find Holmes on Watson action, rather than being able to watch it on a cinema screen. *Sigh*

Still, doesn't look like they treated the books with a great deal of respect anyway, so I guess we now know where the line is drawn.
 

Binerexis

New member
Dec 11, 2009
314
0
0
"I'm all for Downey to kick back and have a laugh and joke about it but as soon as it goes against MY interpretation of the character and MY view on how the characters would act if they were that little bit different then I'm afraid I'll have to pull the plug on the project because I have to have my own way."


Did anyone else read it as that or is it just me being in a bit of a bad mood?
 

Blatherscythe

New member
Oct 14, 2009
2,217
0
0
So, some homophobe won't allow a sequel to a good movie be made? If the homosexuality is true I'll just cover my eyes and ears until it's over.
 

Virgil

#virgil { display:none; }
Legacy
Jun 13, 2002
1,507
0
41
high_castle said:
Seriously? I'm a huge fan of the books and won't see this movie because it looks to treat them pretty lightly.
It's actually not that bad. There's a lot more fighting than one would normally expect from Holmes, but beyond that it's a nice pulp-style interpretation of the character and setting. It was far more faithful than I had imagined it would be from the trailers.
 

hamster mk 4

New member
Apr 29, 2008
818
0
0
Watson is getting married and Holmes is too in love with himself for there to be another man in his life. I am not saying that there will not be homoerotic fanfic about the movie (because there always will be) but I get as much a gay vibe from the Sherlock Holmes movie as I do from the Lethal Weapon.
 

Dumbfish1

New member
Oct 17, 2008
523
0
0
Andrea Plunket said:
black sense of humor
Really? I always thought of homosexuality as quite light hearted and, well, camp. Like Graham Norton or Barrowman.(shakes fist)
 

Wadders

New member
Aug 16, 2008
3,796
0
0
I agree with her. It's just not necessary. There is no need to tack on a gay relationship onto an adaptation of a very old, very established story.

It's not like gays are under-represented in society these days, and we have to turn very old characters into possible homosexuals just because we can.

However, I'm sure it's just silly speculation :)