The Handmaid’s Tale star Joseph Fiennes and Designated Survivor’s Natascha McElhone are officially joining the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Young Sherlock series. This marks Fiennes’ first project with real-life nephew Hero Tiffin Fiennes, who is set to portray the teenage version of the titular detective.

According to Deadline, Fiennes and McElhone have been cast for the respective roles of Silas and Cordelia Holmes, who will be introduced as Sherlock Holmes’ parents in the Prime Video series. Silas is described as a "scientist, explorer and self-made businessman," while Cordelia is characterized as a "devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan." Besides Young Sherlock, The Shakespeare in Love actor is also currently attached to lead the cast of the upcoming sports drama Dear England, which will see Fiennes playing football manager Gareth Southgate. As for The Truman Show actor, McElhone is currently starring and producing Paramount+’s Halo series, in which she plays the role of Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey.

The official synopsis for Young Sherlock reads, "It will be an irreverent, action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever."

Young Sherlock hails from British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who will serve as a director and executive producer on the series. Prior to the Prime Video series, Ritchie previously directed Robert Downey Jr. in two Sherlock Holmes movies, including 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The upcoming prequel will be led by Hero Tiffin Fiennes, who recently worked with Ritchie on the period spy action comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, starring alongside Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson. This marks the young rising star’s first major TV project as the lead, after playing minor roles in British shows like Safe, The Tunnel and Cleaning Up. Tiffin Fiennes is also best known for portraying the role of Hardin Scott in the popular romance film franchise After, which already consists of five movies.

Will Guy Ritchie Still Direct Sherlock Holmes 3?

Following the announcement of Ritchie’s involvement in the Young Sherlock series, many fans of his Sherlock Holmes movies have started wondering if Sherlock Holmes 3 is still happening or not. In a recent interview, producer Susan Downey shared a hopeful update regarding the current status of the long-awaited threequel. She confirmed that they're still very much committed to seeing the project through, and are currently trying to find the story.

"I mean, look, no, there's no update, other than it's still very much alive in our hearts," Downey said. "Every day we talk about, "What is the best next version of that?" Because anytime I see Robert and Jude [Law] together, which fortunately, I do get to see a few times a year, we hang out, and I'm just like, 'Can I get these guys back on screen together?', it's magic. There needs to be a really strong reason, it needs to be a great story, and we do have some things in the works."

Source: Variety