Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Laurie join “Holmes and Watson”

Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Laurie may find their next gig to be anything by elementary.

The Oscar-nominated Fiennes and the Emmy-winning Laurie have joined Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in “Holmes and Watson”, Sony's comedic take on literature's great detective, Sherlock Holmes.

In the third team-up for Ferrell and Reilly (after “Talladega Nights” and “Step Brothers”), Ferrell is starring as Holmes and Reilly is playing his erstwhile sidekick, Dr. Watson.

Character details are being kept locked up in the basement of 221B Baker St., but sources say Fiennes and Laurie will slip on the shoes of two beloved characters from the Holmes oeuvre.

Etan Cohen wrote and is directing the movie, which recently began shooting in London. Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller and Clayton Townsend are producing.

Fiennes last appeared in scene-stealing work in the Coen Bros.' “Hail, Caesar!” These days, the actor, nominated for an Oscar for “Schindler's List” and known the world over for playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, is more heard than seen: he voiced a key character in stop-motion animation darling “Kubo and the Two Strings” and lends his pipes to Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in next month's “The Lego Batman Movie”. 

Laurie is up for a Golden Globe this year for his performance in AMC's “The Night Manager”, and has appeared on HBO's “Veep”. The actor, who stars in Hulu's series “Chance”, was last seen on the big screen as the villain in Disney's “Tomorrowland”. 

Source: Hollywood Reporter