Enola Holmes 2 has more than a few people talking a month after its release on Netflix to rave reviews. Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown proves that she can do a lot more than be Eleven on Stranger Things as she solves a missing person case given to her by a match girl. While she’s the central protagonist of the movie, the fate of her case is tied in with a case her brother Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) is diligently working on.
Therein lies one of the film’s greatest strengths, with Henry Cavill appearing alongside her as her older brother, playing a particularly brilliant Sherlock Holmes. He really ends up stealing the show in this small but memorable part as England’s greatest detective. The small appearance that it is, it teases greater potential for a full-fledged movie that Cavill could very much be at the center of this time. With that being said, let’s discuss just a few of the reasons why he is so deserving of a full-length spin-off movie.
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Since BBC’s Sherlock ended in 2017, there really hasn’t been anyone bold enough to take the mantle since Benedict Cumberbatch’s brilliant portrayal of the character. Even longer since Robert Downey Jr. picked up the pipe in 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. If you count when Sherlock started on BBC, it really means that there hasn’t been a major actor cast for the role since 2010, which is to say it’s more than past time someone had a go at it.
Sherlock fills a very similar role to his other English compatriot James Bond in that there’s always a new take that the character can have to make the interpretation distinct from the others. Netflix is in a prime spot now to have either a television series or a full-fledged movie with the same man and shift attention to themselves in the process.
What’s neat about the idea as well is just how different the character already is from the other two major interpretations in the last 10 years. While Robert Downey Jr. emphasized the eccentricity of the character, Cavill plays him with more subtly and calmness. There’s a sort of haughty presence he exudes with this rather than the manic energy that has come before him. Think also about how Cumberbatch’s take could be openly hostile or lose his cool, whereas Cavill seems to always appear passive and emotionally distant, save for a few scenes where he gets to display a hidden warmth. There’s something different there that hasn’t quite been captured by the others.
He’s an Englishman
Netflix
Like James Bond, Sherlock Holmes is, and should always be, an Englishman at heart. Arguably the best interpretation of Holmes to date has been Cumberbatch as the detective in BBC’s show. There’s something about keeping the actor as an Englishman that makes the production feel more authentic. Think how strange it might be if Harry Potter was portrayed by someone other than an English actor or if James Bond was played by Tom Cruise trying to do his best British accent. There’s an aspect about either case that simply feels like it violates the rules of the character to the point where the film is lesser because of it.
The role allows Cavill to do something different from what he would normally be billed for. It plays to the more dry side of his personality similar to his role in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. which served well as his demo reel for James Bond. Director Harry Bradbeer actually mentioned that he ended up casting him based on his life experiences as a family man rather than his Superman performances.
A Natural Fit
Cavill lines up well in several categories for attributes required by the iconic character. Conan Doyle described him originally as a “Man of Iron” which is amusing to think given Cavill played Superman in Man of Steel. But the meaning there being, a physically fit man of stern demeanor which he certainly fits. More than that, however, he has the same socially distant attitude as the character, often burying his real feelings on a situation perhaps more effectively than those who have come before him. He’s a unique Sherlock in that he begins a social situation by typically listening and watching rather than barging into the room eager to prove how dim everyone is compared to himself. Combine that with his distaste for getting involved in anything political and this attitude feels very leftover from his days playing Geralt in Netflix’s The Witcher, which has prepared him exceptionally for this role.
There’s more Sherlock Holmes in Geralt than you might consider. While they may not share the same levels of intelligence, they’re both sort of social outcasts mistrusted by most and misunderstood by many others, but the first person to be called into a dire situation. Neither care about personal fame nor political influence, and their friendships are limited if any. All to say that his part in the Enola Holmes movies is really only the tip of the iceberg.
Honestly, the biggest obstacle to the potential movie at this point may very well be Cavill himself who has not expressed much optimism for a future role. Notably, though, this opinion was expressed before he was officially cut from The Witcher series, so it may be that he would have a different outlook on the matter with a schedule with fewer conflicts. By comparison, Millie Bobby Brown is already happily dreaming of an Enola Holmes 3 which probably means her brother will join her once more.
