Everyone knows who Sherlock Holmes is. Whether you’re old or young, the name is synonymous with the detective/mystery genre.

It seems now that Guy Ritchie has decided to peek his head out at the mention of the Sherlock Holmes name and has signed on to direct a re-invention of the franchise for Warner Brothers. WB is planning a 2010 release.

As far as script goes, Tony Peckham has adapted producer Lionel Wigram‘s upcoming comic book Sherlock Holmes, which Ritchie plans on rewriting and polishing up. This project has been in development for a long time with Warners (back in March 2007, it was reported that Neil Marshall would direct a script by Michael Johnson).

While no plot details have been revealed, word is that the filmmakers are looking to reinvent the famous detective and sidekick his Dr. Watson. Wigram’s take on Holmes will have him be more adventurous, honing in on his abilities as a boxer and swordsman.

This franchise has decades of various offerings and re-inventions as it is, but it has been a while, so maybe it’s time for a new spin on it. Guy Ritchie has had a streak of bad luck (since marrying Madonna *cough*) lately and maybe he thinks it’s time to take a more mainstream name/story and make a movie from that instead of trying to match Snatch with his own original stuff.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, BUT I think if they do it right, a sweet little British mystery period movie could be a good time. I see it as maybe a hybrid of From Hell and CSI going on here, but that’s just me randomly putting stuff together in my brain, pay no attention.

[Source: Coming Soon]