Ian McKellen playing Sherlock Holmes is the casting you didn’t know you needed

Most portrayals of Sherlock Holmes that stay true to the turn-of-the-century time period show a man in the prime of his life. But even the indomitable famous detective must succumb to the march of time.

“Mr. Holmes” skips the narrative forward to 1947. Now in retirement, Sherlock (Ian McKellen) returns home to his seaside farmhouse after a journey to Japan. What was supposed to be a search for a rare restorative plant ended instead with him witnessing the devastating aftermath of nuclear warfare. With only his housekeeper and her plucky son as company, Holmes grapples with his diminishing mental capacity. A hard blow for anyone but even more crushing to man world-renowned for his sharp mind.

It is in this state that Holmes comes to rely upon the boy (Milo Parker) as they reopen an investigation into the unsolved case that forced Sherlock into retirement.

Miramax and Roadside Attraction present “Mr. Holmes” starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, and Milo Parker in theaters Summer 2015.

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