Millie Bobby Brown’s latest Netflix outing – mystery film Enola Holmes – is set to land on the platform in September, with the Stranger Things star playing Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, acting alongside Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter and Sam Claflin.
While Netflix had initially given little away, the streamer recently released a teaser trailer for the film, with a cryptic caption which appears to give away Enola Holmes’ precise release date.
Based on Nancy Springer’s book series of the same name, Enola Holmes follows the adventures of Sherlock (Cavill) and Mycroft’s (Claflin) sister Enola, who escapes finishing school to look for her recently-missing mother (Bonham Carter), meeting runaway Marquis of Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) along the way and becoming a super-sleuth in her own right.
Here’s everything we know so far about Enola Holmes.
When is Enola Holmes released?
Netflix has not plainly revealed Enola Holmes’ release date, however it seems to have done so cryptically.
The streamer released a teaser trailer for a film on Monday 17th August, with the caption: “alone loshme reeebtpms wnettyrhitd”.
When solved, the anagram reads: Enola Holmes September Twenty third – therefore, it appears the film is set to land on Netflix on Wednesday 23rd September.
What is Enola Holmes about?
Based on the Nancy Springer books, Enola Holmes is set in 19th century England and centres around Sherlock’s younger sister (Millie Bobby Brown), who discovers on her 16th birthday that her mother has disappeared with no clue as to where she’s gone.
Netflix teases: “After a free-spirited childhood, Enola suddenly finds herself under the care of her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), both set on sending her away to a finishing school for “proper” young ladies.”
“Refusing to follow their wishes, Enola escapes to search for her mother in London. But when her journey finds her entangled in a mystery surrounding a young runaway Lord (Louis Partridge), Enola becomes a super-sleuth in her own right, outwitting her famous brother as she unravels a conspiracy that threatens to set back the course of history.”
Directed by Killing Eve’s Harry Bradbeer and written by His Dark Materials’ Jack Thorne, the team hope to bring a “fresh approach” to the detective series.
Speaking to Total Film, Bradbeer said: “There was the fact that there was a sister that people probably hadn’t considered existed.”
“That automatically brings the whole feminist stance and a feminist angle on the Holmes story, which was particularly interesting to me, as Holmes was thought of as being someone who was a little bit of a misogynist,” he said.
Speaking about playing Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film, Henry Cavil said: “When Harry [Bradbeer] and I were discussing the character, we were very aware that Sherlock had been played wonderfully many times by many wonderful actors.”
“And what we liked about this version was that it was untraditional due to the nature of who the story is about. This isn’t a Sherlock Holmes movie,” he continued. “This is an Enola Holmes movie. And in this case, he’s actually with another pea in the pod, if you will, and you see a lot more warmth, kindness, and a humanity to Sherlock.”
Enola Holmes trailer
Netflix dropped a cryptic trailer for Enola Holmes on Monday 17th August, with the caption: “alone loshme reeebtpms wnettyrhitd”
alone loshme reeebtpms wnettyrhitd 🕵️♀️🔍 pic.twitter.com/pc2lj1LxjR
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) August 17, 2020
It looks as though each word in the caption is an anagram, which when solved, reads: “Enola Holmes September Twenty third”.
In the 20 second clip, we get a brief look at Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock’s younger sister with a mind “sharp as a tack”, as well as Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Adeel Akhtar, Fiona Shaw and Susan Wokoma donning 19th century attire.
Why is Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate suing Netflix?
According to the Daily Mail, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – author of the original Sherlock Holmes books – is suing Netflix for copyright infringement over Enola Holmes.
The Doyle Estate reportedly lost most of its rights to the character in 2014, however it has argued in a 19-page complaint that the film depicts Holmes as possessing emotions which were a late addition to the character in books not yet in the public domain.
In 2014, a court found that all works made before 1923 are considered to be in the public domain. The Doyle Estate claim that the copyright of the author’s last ten stories, published between 1923 and 1927, still belong to them.
The Estate claims that the film’s portrayal of Holmes would represent copyright infringement.
RadioTimes.com has contacted the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle for further comment.
Enola Holmes cast
The Netflix film stars 16-year-old actress Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as Enola Holmes, while Superman Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, Justice League) and Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games, Love, Rosie) play her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft respectively.
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown, Harry Potter) portrays the siblings’ mother Eudoria, who mysteriously disappears on Enola’s birthday, and Paddington 2 actor Louis Partridge plays runaway Viscount Tewksbury.
Fleabag’s Fiona Shaw plays Miss Harrison, the mistress of Enola’s new finishing school, while Murder Mystery’s Adeel Akhtar plays a young Inspector Lestrade.
Chewing Gum’s Susie Wokoma plays Edith, the owner of a London tea house and jiu-jitsy master, alongside Torchwood’s Burn Gorman as henchman Linthorn, The History Boys’ Frances de la Tour as Tewksbury’s grandmother, Valkyrie’s David Bamber as Sir Whimbrel and Beauty and the Beast’s Hattie Morahan as Lady Tewkesbury.
Enola Holmes books
If you want to get a head start on the novels before Netflix releases this adaptation, look no further.
The Enola Holmes Mysteries, written by American author Nancy Springer, consists of six books:
- The Case of the Missing Marquess
- The Case of the Left-Handed Lady
- The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets
- The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan
- The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline
- The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye
The complete set is available to buy on the Penguin Random House website.
However, if you’d like to read the series’ source material – Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels – you can buy his complete works on Amazon.
Enola Holmes is set for release on Netflix in September 2020. Check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix.
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