‘Sherlock Holmes’ Christmas Special Air Date Announced, New Trailer Drops
A new trailer for the hotly-anticipated Sherlock Holmes Christmas special has dropped with the only difference between it and the last 90-second teaser being the reveals of the title of the special and the air date. “The Abominable Bride” — with no official synopsis available yet — premieres both in the U.K. and the U.S. on January 1, 2016.
The Sherlock Victorian Special airs Jan 1, 2016! And #Sherlock starts trending in 3… 2… https://t.co/Mu8dT7mXhZ pic.twitter.com/OJGcr0Ec8r
— Nerd York City (@nerdyorkcity) October 24, 2015
Fans haven’t seen Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in their beloved roles since January of 2014, and the BBC announced they will begin filming season 4 of the series next spring. No air date has been announced yet. Benedict recently gave an interview about his character — discussing the sex appeal of Sherlock with NPR and providing his reasoning for it.
“Being really hyperobjective about it, I kind of… do understand it because he’s aloof, he’s pretty cold and mean; but he’s utterly brilliant, can be incredibly charming, incredibly capable and smart and funny but also flawed,” he observed. “I think he’s rather a thrilling person to spend time with.”
“It’s a projection of work, and that’s why you’re right to ask the question about whether Sherlock is sexy, because I sure as hell ain’t,” he said. “And I’ve been around for 10 or 15 years before this happened and I wasn’t on any lists of the millionth most attractive…. It’s just very flattering and it makes me giggle, as [fans] know, because it is – it’s sort of silly…. I think it is a reflection of the work and hopefully how I come across when I’m talking about the work, rather than what I actually have got.”
Producers have been tight-lipped on details about the Christmas special, but as The Verge reports, series co-creator Steven Moffat has previously said that it will be largely a stand-alone piece.
“The special is its own thing… We wouldn’t have done the story we’re doing, and the way we’re doing it, if we didn’t have this special. It’s not part of the run of three episodes,” Moffat said.
The #Sherlock special will premiere in the U.S. and U.K. on the same day for the first time https://t.co/7r1dRzJFf2 pic.twitter.com/cmE4wCiOU7
— Variety (@Variety) October 24, 2015
In related news, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter is the eighth and last episode to the Sherlock Holmes game franchise and is set for a 2016 spring release. The game is the follow-up to the 2014 Crimes and Punishments game release. The game will be made available for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
“Featuring taut action and investigative work, ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter,’ is the eight and latest entry in the franchise, will push your abilities to the limit in this one-of-a-kind interactive experience,” stated BigBen Interactive in a press release.
Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal are in talks to star as George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison, respectively, in The Weinstein Co.’s The Current War, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is in talks to helm the project. He’s currently gearing up to direct Will Smith in Collateral Beauty.
Current War is set in the late 1880s and chronicles Edison and Westinghouse’s battle over the supply of electricity. As THR notes, “Edison championed direct current (DC) for electric-power distribution over alternating current (AC), which was backed by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric.”
TWC will finance the film, which will see the company reuniting with Cumberbatch, who starred in the studio’s The Imitation Game, a role that garnered him a nomination for a best actor Oscar.
Check out the newish Sherlock Holmes trailer below. The special will air on the U.K.’s BBC One and in the United States on PBS Masterpiece Mystery.
[Image courtesy John Phillips/Getty Images/Twitter]
