*Update*: As we suspected, this is total bullshit and MTV has confirmed via Warner Bros. As you were.
Earlier: Mark this down as today’s dumb, fun and all-but probably-untrue report from the schlocky British tabloids.
According to The Mirror, Brad Pitt is set to join Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes” for a last minute cameo as Holmes’ arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty. Ritchie allegedly called up his “Snatch” star after being “ordered to reinstate the great Holmes evil nemesis, pronto” — which is your first clue that this report is false considering Moriarty already appeared in an April 2008 script draft that we reviewed.
Pitt is now allegedly due to fly over to London this week for his cameo. Suuure he is.
“It’s a huge coup to have Brad joining the cast,” an alleged source revealed. “It was an oversight in the film not to make a bigger deal about Moriarty. He is mentioned as Holmes’ arch enemy, but the bosses wanted Guy to make more of him. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr have already shot their scenes. But now that 10 extra days have been added to shoot the new ones, they may be called back for a day or two.”
Yeah, but again, in the aforementioned script we read, Moriarty shows up briefly in the end, ostensibly to set up and or hint at a sequel (what else is new). The British tabloids might as well as be sold in fiction sections of bookstores but, we guess, theoretically it’s not totally beyond the realm of possibility. Pitt seemingly has nothing on his slate at the moment and surely working with Downey Jr. would be something that may interest him. But still, “Sherlock Holmes” finished shooting earlier this year and you’d think disagreements about the exclusion/inclusion of Moriarty in the script would surely be something that could, should and would have been discussed in pre-production, no?
And last of all, surely Pitt knows better than get involved with this, right? If he were to join this picture even as a cameo, if “Sherlock Holmes 2” was green lit, he would have to star in it for continuities sake, no?
Oh, we’re over-thinking this it’s the British press, file under: bullshit for now.