Marvel Studios reveal: IRON MAN 3 conceptual art

Marvel Studios has debuted the first conceptual art from the highly anticipated film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr.

Rendered by artist Ryan Meinerding, the conceptual photo shows Tony Stark dressed casually except for his left arm and calf which are suited with Iron Man armor parts. Caption of the photo reads, "In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark suffers his most devastating attack, and must rely on his greatest assets, his ingenuity and instincts."

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Downey as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Set for release in the U.S. and the Philippines on May 3, 2013, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

Marvel begins production on “IRON MAN 3” | In preparation for May 3, 2013 film release

BURBANK, Calif. – Following in the footsteps of the record-breaking Marvel Studios’ release “Marvel’s The Avengers,” production on the highly anticipated film “Iron Man 3,” directed by Shane Black, has commenced production in Wilmington, North Carolina. The production schedule will also include locations in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, Miami, Florida and China.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. as the iconic Super Hero character Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Set for release in the U.S. and the Philippines on May 3, 2013, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” marks the second feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

“Iron Man 3” continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire inventor/Super Hero, Tony Stark aka “Iron Man.” Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing the film. Executive producers on the project include Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard and Dan Mintz.

The creative production team on the film includes two-time Oscar®-winning director of photography John Toll, ASC (“Braveheart,” “Legends of the Fall”), production designer Bill Brzeski (“The Hangover,” “Due Date”), editors Jeffrey Ford, A.C.E. (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”) and Peter S. Elliot (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer”), and costume designer Louise Frogley (“Quantum of Solace,” “Contagion”).

Marvel Studios most recently produced the critically acclaimed “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which set the all-time, domestic 3-day weekend box office record at $207.4 million. The film, which is currently in release, continues to shatter box office records and is The Walt Disney Studios’ highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time and marks the studios’ fifth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.

The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012)

Let's get a couple of things out of the way. The Avengers opens on such a hollow note that its entire first act struggles to find any kind of footing at all. Trapped between a need for some basic exposition and a total disregard for anyone foolish enough to wade into this film without having seen its multiple-franchise foundations, The Avengers thus has nothing for anyone as it slowly, ever so slowly, brings together its collection of superheroes. And though I've never previously bought the charge that Joss Whedon is a smug writer, I nearly blushed at the self-satisfaction in some early exchanges and setups, so obvious and fan-massaging that their cynicism threatened to divorce me entirely from what I hoped would be Whedon's big break. Maybe all that trash-talking he'd done over the years for those who "misread" or "mishandled" his early film scripts was just a smokescreen for a writer whose considerable gift for television writing simply didn't translate to the more concise storytelling of cinema.

Then, something happened that has not occurred in any of the Marvel films leading up to this blowout: the movie kept getting better. Most of the previous films started with intriguing concepts and approaches before fizzling out in half-baked, perfunctorily executed action romps that served only to set up the chess pieces for this picture. Even Captain America, easily the best of the Marvel Studios franchise starters, dipped a bit in the middle, though it differs from its peers in that it finished strong where movies like Iron Man, Thor and The Incredible Hulk ended on lame notes. But The Avengers swaps the usual Marvel dynamic, moving out of a dull, lazy setup into something clever, well-observed and, ultimately, thrilling. By the time everything fell into place, my laundry list of complaints evaporated in the pure rush of Whedon's ambition.

The first act suffers for the unavoidably arbitrary nature of the events that bring Marvel's heroes together. When Loki (Tom Hiddleston) materializes out of his deep-space exile in a S.H.I.E.L.D. base on Earth, he instantly starts wreaking havoc and steals the Tesseract, that glowing blue cube that factored so prominently in Thor and Captain America. As MacGuffins go, the Tesseract isn't engaging or broadly explained enough for the severity placed on it to work, and even when Loki possesses S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (including Jeremy Renner's Clint "Hawkeye" Barton) and levels the secret, hi-tech facility, the stakes are so unclear that the worry in Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) face doesn't register.

But Fury cannot sufficiently stress the danger the world faces and sets about recruiting all the superheroes he met in those post-credits stingers in past Marvel films. Arduously, the film comes to each of these heroes—Tony "Iron Man"Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), Bruce "Hulk" Banner (Mark Ruffalo, replacing Ed Norton), Steve "Captain America" Rogers (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Natasha "Black Widow" Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson)—individually, rehashing their personalities and backstories before bringing them together. These scenes drag along with dead weight, giving the impression that Loki could have vaporized the planet in the time it takes the movie to even put these people in the same room, much less in a team.

Once Whedon does put all these larger-than-life personalities in the same shot, however, he displays a canny ability to subvert expectations for immediate, boisterous action. Whedon's television programs are filled with makeshift, uncertainly functioning families brimming with tension and different goals, and he compounds that spiky energy with these superpowered people. The first great action sequence involving the heroes is among each other, Iron Man and Thor trading blows as their target, Loki, looks on with a grin. And when they bring Loki bound to a flying aircraft carrier serving as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mobile headquarters, the feeling that something horrible is about to happen is omnipresent.

This middle section allows Whedon to stretch out with his actors and, having moved past the flippant, insider-joke-laden dialogue of the start, truly delve into the characters. In a setup reminiscent of the Angelus arc in Angel's fourth season, S.H.I.E.L.D. puts Loki in a cage, limiting his physical movement and maximizing his psychological warfare. Hiddleston lets every jab and uncomfortable insight flick off his tongue on hot spittle, getting into the heroes' heads. My favorite scene of the film pits Loki against Black Widow, inverting Hiddleston's charm into frightening invective until Whedon pulls the rug out from underneath the moment in fantastically funny fashion.

Whedon's sarcastic humor and his gift for writing powerful but flawed characters suits him perfectly to Stark and Banner. Downey coasted in Iron Man 2, lazily delivering arrogant one-liners clearly written to capture the spontaneous, unexpected magic he brought to Stark. Here, though, he has better barbs, and better characters to square off against, bouncing off Captain America's uptight obsolescence and curiously prodding Banner in the hopes of seeing him transform. In Whedon's hands, Stark is no longer celebrated for his stand-offish, cocky nature but rightly seen as the insufferable, popular kid in high school. (Even the recycling of AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" from Iron Man 2 feels more like a jab at Stark's predictable egomania than a convenience of rights issues.) Yet it's also Whedon who gets the first true bit of humanity and empathy out of the billionaire genius, first in his kinship with Banner and then in response to an event that galvanizes the whole cast.

Ruffalo wastes no time establishing himself as the greatest Bruce Banner yet. His Banner has a perpetually remorseful, embarrassed look, asking others whether they know about him in the resigned but bashful way of a man who is used to having to admit a terrible secret to strangers but can never get used to the shame of the admission itself. He speaks slowly and deliberately, projecting a neutral energy that finds an anxious middle-ground between calm and angry. Even the animation for the Hulk is superb, using motion-capture and nuanced CGI to capture Ruffalo's sad eyes in the lumbering green behemoth. Thor and Captain America, incorruptible idealists, fare less well, as Whedon would need even more than the film's already-bloated running time to break down their two-dimensional goodness. Still, Evans at least gets to flex his acting chops with a constant, subtle discomfort befitting a man out of his time. I hope the next Captain America film gives Evans a meatier role to explore in the modern era.

The final act is at once irritating thanks to Whedon's clumsy action directing and exhilarating for how well he corrals everyone into the racket of Manhattan being torn apart by the Avengers and Loki's alien army. Spatial geography in the shots is incomprehensible, yet the larger image of the Hulk clobbering soldiers over there, Hawkeye picking off targets with casual precision, Captain America and Black Widow holding down the ground level et al. is easily traceable. The sheer ambition of the climactic sequence also helps, the tearing apart of a city reminiscent of a Michael Bay film but coordinated to give more heft to the characters and, generally speaking, to not delight in the wanton destruction. As thrilling as the sight of the Hulk punching some massive flying beast is, there's an urgency to end this chaos as quickly as possible counter to Bay's basking in pandemonium. Whedon is clearly having fun, but the climax works less as a dumb showcase for (admittedly great) special effects than as the throughline for these characters, their powers and their relationships to each other.

That idiosyncratic touch, a preference for the actual characters over the spectacle, doesn't redeem the film's many flaws of pacing, direction, and the occasional bit of dodgy dialogue. But it does it at least offset them, offering a fresh take on the Marvel formula that already feels set in stone after only a few years of dedicated work in setting up this mega-tent pole. Were I to simply look at the film on an isolate, critical level, I'd have to conclude that it was a failure. It languishes in a first act it does not even attempt to make interesting or coherent, then moves past that vital second-act inner conflict between the heroes too quickly, and finally flirts with mindless action in a way Whedon never has before. But like the Avengers themselves, the film works as a whole in a way it doesn't when contrasting individual elements. In fact, that tension among its unwieldy elements is part of the movie's charm, making it even more exciting when everything somehow comes together in a satisfactory way. Whedon may succumb to the fad of frenetic editing and jumbled close-ups on action, but I can think of few other filmmakers who could have made a film about a collection of Earth's greatest heroes and maintained focus so thoroughly on the way that team operated.

IRON MAN 3 | GUY PEARCE is ‘Extremis’ geneticist Aldrich Killian

The casting of Guy Pearce in Iron Man 3 (2013) answers the question of who will play Aldrich Killian in the Shane Black directed film. Filming next month, Guy Pearce’s geneticist Aldrich Killian is intergal to Iron Man 3‘s plotline, which will be loosely based on Extremis. Warren Ellis’ six-issue Extremis introduced nanotechnology to Stark’s technologies.

On the Extremis plot line from the comic book:

Through trial and error, the brilliant Maya Hansen constructed Extremis, a bio-electronics package fitted into a few billion graphic nanotubes and suspended in a carrier fluid. The package, when injected into the human genome, was meant to hack the body’s repair center and rewrite the normal human blueprint with a better one. When the human brain is convinced that the Extremis blueprint is the correct one, it shuts the human down, leaving the human needing nutrients intravenously injected during the following days while the body rebuilds. Under the premise that she would use her new creation for military efforts, Maya obtained military funding for her operation.

Maya learned that the military was pulling her funding before she could try Extremis on a live subject. She and her partner at Futurepharm, Aldrich Killian, decided that they should put Extremis into the hands of criminals, then involve Tony Stark’s creation, Iron Man, against the Extremis-enhanced criminal. She figured that if they could thus prove the value of Extremis, it would help her save countless human lives after her funding was restored. She and Aldrich stole Extremis and put it into the hands of terrorists.

Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle are all reprising their previous roles for the previous Iron Man films.

Production on Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 is set to start in May 2012. Iron Man 3 will be released in US theaters through Walt Disney Pictures on May 3, 2013.

Source: Film Book

JUDE LAW back as Watson in “SHERLOCK HOLMES” sequel

An award-winning, acclaimed actor with a wealth of widely varied film roles to his credit, Jude Law once again stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. James Watson in Warner Bros.' new action-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

In the film, Sherlock Holmes (Downey) has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Downey reveals, “We see the aftereffects of Holmes having been consumed with Moriarty, to the point that he’s clearly kind of ‘nutting up.’ He’s focused on him to the exclusion of everything else, including, quite possibly, his own sanity,” the actor smiles.

That is the state in which Dr. Watson discovers his old friend when he returns to Baker Street on the eve of his wedding to Mary. Jude Law notes, “Watson arrives looking forward to the stag party that his best man, Holmes, was supposed to arrange. Instead, he finds he has reason to be concerned with Holmes’ obsessive behavior regarding Professor Moriarty. I don’t think he doubts that Holmes is right, and there’s still a bit of the old soldier in Watson who feels a responsibility to see justice done. But he does suspect it will result in the dilemma he always faces: a secure life with his wife or the thrill of the chase. He undoubtedly has great times when he’s on a case with Holmes and wants to help his friend out of the scrapes he gets himself into, so it’s a constant struggle for the poor chap.”

Director Guy Ritchie says, “We’d all love to have the genius of Sherlock Holmes, although we’re much more likely to empathize with Watson. Being a doctor, he is an intellectual in his own right, but to a degree, Watson is your every man who is enticed by a life of action and Holmes is his window of opportunity to that life. It makes for a perfect partnership, and that’s the engine that drives these stories.”

The connection between Holmes and Watson was reflected in the off-screen friendship between the two actors playing them. Downey attests, “I feel about Jude the way Sherlock feels about John: I love the guy like a brother. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

“Developing the interaction between Holmes and Watson was one of the most rewarding parts of the first film, and from the get-go, Robert and I slipped right back into it,” Law recalls. “We benefited this time from the fact that we really knew the characters, having laid the bedrock of their relationship in the first film, so we could trust our instincts and even push it a little further.”

Producer Joel Silver states, “There was a kind of magic that came out of the dynamic between Robert and Jude as Holmes and Watson, and the sequel gave us a chance to take that up a notch. In the first movie, we had to give audiences the time to get to know the foibles of the characters. Coming into this movie, we had already laid the foundation, so we could launch right into the action, which is bigger, funnier and more explosive in every sense of the word.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sunday, Jan. 08, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. returns as SHERLOCK HOLMES in “A GAME OF SHADOWS”

Robert Downey Jr. returns as the world's smartest detective in Warner Bros.' new action-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the highly anticipated sequel to the 2009 hit for which he won a Golden Globe Best Actor Award.

The titular character created by Downey in the first “Sherlock Holmes” had defied convention. Gone were the once-emblematic deerstalker hat, curved pipe and posh British decorum, replaced by a streetwise, bare-knuckled brawler, whose physical prowess was equal to his superlative mind and preternatural powers of perception.

Director Guy Ritchie says, “One of the most important things about the first movie was to get away from the somewhat dustier, if you will, impression of the character that I think many people were expecting. In keeping with Conan Doyle’s original creation, we wanted to access the physicality of Holmes while conveying his intelligence and wit, and Robert brought all that and more to the equation. There were a lot of little nuances going on that added so much to the role. I find it impossible now to imagine anyone else as Sherlock Holmes.”

Downey reciprocates, “I love working with Guy; it’s such a collaborative process and he has a terrific sense of humor that really comes into play here. On this film, there was an element of rediscovering Sherlock Holmes all over again. We wanted to maintain that sense of fun but with even more gravitas.”

“Robert knew how to get inside Sherlock Holmes’ head—to make him funny and eccentric and yet absolutely believable as the most renowned detective of all time. It was fantastic to watch,” producer Joel Silver remarks.

In the time that has elapsed since the end of the first film, Holmes has been bent on a singular mission, triggered by the revelation that, while he had taken down the evil Lord Blackwood, he had somehow missed an even greater threat. Shrouded in secrecy, Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) had been patiently lying in wait to capitalize on Blackwood’s handiwork.

For the sequel, Downey says, “We wanted to maintain the visceral tone that was part of Guy’s original vision, while presenting Holmes with an even more difficult case, one that would challenge his considerable skills.”

Professor Moriarty not only is Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Downey concludes, “We see the aftereffects of Holmes having been consumed with Moriarty, to the point that he’s clearly kind of ‘nutting up.’ He’s focused on him to the exclusion of everything else, including, quite possibly, his own sanity,” the actor smiles.

Ritchie emphasizes, “Because they are intellectual equals to a degree, there is the sense that this is a game that is stimulating to them both. In this way, they actually need each other, and that idea is authentic to the books. Holmes needs Moriarty as much as Moriarty needs Holmes.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sunday, Jan. 08, 2012, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Swedish actress NOOMI RAPACE makes Hollywood debut in “SHERLOCK HOLMES 2”

Swedish star Noomi Rapace gained global acclaim with her riveting and unnerving portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the original film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling Millennium Trilogy, beginning with her 2009 breakout performance in Niels Arden Oplev’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” For her performance in the film, Rapace won several international honors, including a Best Actress nomination at the BAFTA Awards.

Now, she plays her first English-speaking role in Warner Bros.' actio-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” as mysterious Gypsy named Sim, who becomes allied with Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) in his quest to stop criminal mastermind Prof. James Moriarty (Jared Harris).

Sim could provide the link to the final piece of the puzzle, completing the picture of Moriarty’s sinister plot. The cryptic letter that drew Holmes to Sim was from her brother, Rene. Years earlier, Sim and Rene had joined a group of anarchists called the Lapin Vert. When the group became too extreme, Sim and her brother abandoned the cause, but for reasons unknown Rene made his way back and wound up as a pawn in Moriarty’s deadly game. Sim agrees to help Holmes and Watson if they will save her brother.

Director Guy Ritchie says, “We were all big fans of Noomi's, and when we met with her, she was already full of ideas for the character. I loved working with her because she’s ballsy and smart and totally committed—all qualities we were looking for in Sim.”

Rapace says that the nomadic lifestyle of a Gypsy and the attitudes of the time have combined to make Sim tough. “She’s forever on the move and wherever she goes, she’s not treated very well, so she’s had to learn to defend herself. Her people are used to surviving under extreme circumstances and living on the edge, usually in places where they’re not welcome. Sim has seen the darker side of humanity and, in that way, she has something in common with Holmes.”

The actress might also have something in common with her character. “My father was a Flamenco singer from Spain, and I was told he had Gypsy blood in him,” she offers. “I’m not sure if it’s really true or not, but I’ve always had an interest in Gypsy culture and playing Sim gave me a fantastic opportunity to delve into that—the way they live and love and their strong sense of family and loyalty. Guy gave me a lot of freedom to develop her character, which I appreciated.”

“Noomi was incredible…not only a wonderful actress but a lovely person,” producer Joel Silver says. “She’s in most of the movie alongside Robert and Jude Law and really had to hold her own with them, and she was amazing.”

The fight scenes in the film were not confined to the men, which is something Noomi Rapace welcomed. “Sim is a street fighter,” the actress asserts. “She can punch and kick and she’s very good with knives, but when she’s thrown into a situation, she’ll grab whatever is close at hand. She’s scrappy. I like that,” she smiles.

Upcoming, Rapace will next be seen starring in Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi thriller “Prometheus,” with Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce.

Opening across the Philippines in Jan. 08, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

GUY RITCHIE hatches more adventures in “SHERLOCK HOLMES” sequel

“Case reopened…” Those two tantalizing words at the close of 2009’s “Sherlock Holmes” promised audiences that more adventures lie ahead. Now Warner Bros.' “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” fulfills that promise, bringing the legendary detective back to the big screen in a new action-packed mystery that reunites the stars and filmmakers behind that worldwide hit.

Director Guy Ritchie says, “I was very keen to return to Sherlock Holmes’ world because the experience of making the first movie was so positive, both personally and creatively. There were a myriad of story possibilities in revisiting this character because he has so many interesting facets. His idiosyncrasies almost transcend description, so I wanted the opportunity to explore that more, while giving audiences something they hadn’t seen.”

Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes” had redefined Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic character for a new generation, with Robert Downey Jr. creating his own unique incarnation of the role, alongside Jude Law as Holmes’ friend, partner, and occasional foil, Dr. John Watson.

Producer Joel Silver states, “There was a kind of magic that came out of the dynamic between Robert and Jude as Holmes and Watson, and this film gave us a chance to take that up a notch. In the first movie, we had to give audiences the time to get to know the foibles of the characters. Coming into this movie, we had already laid the foundation, so we could launch right into the action, which is bigger, funnier and more explosive in every sense of the word.”

“First and foremost,” Robert Downey Jr. adds, “we wanted to maintain the visceral tone that was part of Guy’s original vision, while presenting Holmes with an even more difficult case, one that would challenge his considerable skills.”

That challenge arises out of the threat from a redoubtable adversary, one whose name is familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes canon: Professor James Moriarty.

“We needed a mystery that raises the bar for Holmes, so we pitted him against his most famous foe,” notes producer Susan Downey. “At the end of the last film, Sherlock fleetingly learned of Moriarty from Irene Adler. In the time elapsed, he has become increasingly obsessed with what Moriarty is up to and has only begun to realize the breadth of his plan.”

Producer Lionel Wigram comments, “Moriarty is the greatest criminal mastermind in the world. He is a genius—albeit a mad genius—but because he is so brilliant, Holmes may have met his match.”

Ritchie emphasizes, “Because they are intellectual equals to a degree, there is the sense that this is a game that is stimulating to them both. In this way, they actually need each other, and that idea is authentic to the books. Holmes needs Moriarty as much as Moriarty needs Holmes.”

As the vastness of Moriarty’s conspiracy unfolds, it broadens the scope of the action beyond the confines of London, to France, Germany and on to Switzerland. Ritchie affirms, “Our narrative enabled us to spread our wings across Europe to expand the topography and tapestry of the story.”

Wigram says, “It also allowed us to add a different flavor to the mix that dovetails nicely into what was happening at the end of the 19th century, politically, economically and especially in terms of industry. It was the beginning of the modern age, where we see the seeds of the military-industrial complex, with bigger and more powerful weapons and more efficient warfare.”

With a changing world on the brink, there is danger afoot. For someone who knows how to stir the pot, however, there is also tremendous opportunity to grasp untold wealth and power. Only Sherlock Holmes has deduced that Professor James Moriarty is the one stoking the fire…and it is only a matter of time before everything boils over.

Opening across the Philippines in January 2012, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The game is on in “SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS"

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in Warner Bros.’ new action-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty.

Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel also reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers.

In her first English-speaking role, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” plays a mysterious Gypsy named Sim, who becomes allied with Holmes and Watson in their quest to stop Moriarty. Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s decidedly eccentric older brother.

Returning from the first film, the cast also includes Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler; Kelly Reilly as Watson’s bride, Mary Morstan; Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade; and Geraldine James as Holmes’s long-suffering landlady, Mrs. Hudson.

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.

Ritchie once again collaborated with the behind-the-scenes team from the first movie, including director of photography Philippe Rousselot, production designer Sarah Greenwood, editor James Herbert, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and composer Hans Zimmer.

Opening across the Philippines in January 2012, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Sneak Peek: “SHERLOCK HOLMES 2” character posters

Warner Bros. debuts the international character posters of its upcoming action-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the 2010 smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.”

The one-sheets feature the individual characters of bestfriends Holmes and Watson, played respectively by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

The sequel reunites director Guy Ritchie with stars Downey and Law, as well as producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin.

In the film, Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Also joining the cast, in her first English-speaking role, is Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother.

Opening across the Philippines in January 2012, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.