As one of the two most heavily-adapted fictional characters in history alongside Dracula, Sherlock Holmes is going to continue being reinvented and updated for modern audiences until the end of time, especially when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary creation largely exists within the public domain, so anyone can use the legendary sleuth to tell any kind of story they want.
Netflix appear to have taken this to heart, with multiple Sherlock-related movies and TV shows dominating the streaming service’s schedule over the last year and the next several as well. Supernatural spinoff The Irregulars has reportedly been renewed for a second season, Enola Holmes is poised to launch a franchise, while the modern day Sherlock Junior and episodic Sherlock’s Daughter are in the works, too.
Insider Daniel Richtman now claims that Adam Sandler is also developing a Sherlock-themed comedy, but the tipster offers no additional information, so we’ll hazard a guess that he’s talking about a Happy Madison effort for the streamer. Of course, the last time the character was turned into the star of a comic vehicle, we got one of the worst pics in recent memory thanks to Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s Holmes & Watson, so we can only hope that The Sandman fares better.
In any case, we can add this to the ever-expanding roster of projects that the tipster has linked Sandler with, which already includes Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison and The Waterboy sequels, two new sports comedies, various kids films, a new Night at the Museum, an Uncut Gems prequel and collaborations with Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller, Millie Bobby Brown and Dwayne Johnson. As things stand, the only movies the actor officially has on the horizon for Netflix are basketball comedy Hustle and existential sci-fi The Spaceman of Bohemia, so anything beyond that remains purely speculative for now, especially when he’s already got his own murder mystery title in development as it is.