By David Mimran

My partner Jordan Schur and I are tremendously excited for the release of Holmes & Watson this Christmas Day. It’s a modern-day comedic take on the detective classic by the late Arthur Conan Doyle, and it stars two of the biggest names in slapstick today: Will Ferrell as the legendary detective and John C. Reilly as Dr. Watson, his trusted sidekick.

Jordan and I are partial, of course. Mimran Schur Pictures, our production house, teamed up with Columbia Pictures and Ferrell’s own Gary Sanchez Productions to produce Holmes & Watson. We couldn’t be more thrilled by the response we’ve gotten thus far. Last we checked Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s “want to see” score is up to 93% — an off-the-charts rating this far in advance of release.

New faces, old moves

Holmes & Watson is no one’s idea of a stodgy Victorian novel. (No offense to the legendary Mr. Doyle, without whose creative genius we wouldn’t be in this fortunate position today.) It’s a sophisticated comedic romp that’s very much of the moment — complete with a very unwieldy selfie stick and a profane colloquialism at which you can probably guess.

Holmes & Watson also marks a significant step forward for the long-running creative partnership between Ferrell and Reilly, whose collaboration on Step Brothers (2008) remains the gold standard for 21st-century comedy pairings. Notably, this is the highest-profile Ferrell-Reilly film to conduct principal filming overseas; Holmes & Watson was shot in a variety of appropriately Victorian locations in southeastern England, and at the incredible Shepperton Studios in London.

Ferrell and Reilly are undoubtedly the biggest draws here, but Holmes & Watson would not be the same without a stellar supporting cast that includes some of the biggest names in contemporary British television and cinema today.

Sherlock & Holmes aficionados will recognize the series’ principal villain, of course: Moriarty, played in Holmes & Watson by the inimitable Ralph Fiennes. Closer readers will no doubt remember Mrs. Holmes, Sherlock’s put-upon landlady; in the originals, she’s a minor character, but here she earns an expansive portrayal by the fantastic Kelly MacDonald. Other appearances include Hugh Laurie, as Sherlock’s reclusive (and, particularly in this version, far more talented) older brother; Rebecca Hall, as Dr. Grace Hart, the more competent and put-together of the film’s two doctors; and rising star Lauren Lapkus as Millie, with whom Sherlock is infatuated.

As for Holmes & Watson’s plot? We won’t spoil all the surprises here, but suffice to say its stakes are higher than the typical Will Ferrell comedy’s. Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson’s case involves the Queen of England herself — that’s Queen Victoria, for the history buffs out there.

Where we’ve been

Holmes & Watson is the latest in a long line of Mimran Schur Pictures productions. Since 2009, we’ve been involved with a half-dozen feature films, including critically acclaimed titles like Warrior (2011), starring Nick Nolte as a washed-up fighter dealing with the wreckage of a hardscrabble life; and Stone (2010), a Robert de Niro vehicle that earned rave reviews at the Toronto Film Festival.

More to come from Mimran Schur Pictures

We’ve got plenty in the pipeline, as well. Next up is The Kid, a Chris Pratt-Ethan Hawke film about a young boy whose encounter with famed outlaw Billy the Kid sets in motion a high-stakes chain of events. We’re looking forward to The Kid’s release early next year.

Also in the works is Five Against a Bullet, a high-octane action thriller starring Jackie Chan as a hired gun whose team provides the firepower for a reformist political candidate’s crusade against drug cartels in a crime-ridden Mexican town.

For now, our sights are set on Christmas Day 2018. We’re looking forward to the release of Holmes & Watson — and we hope you are too. See you at the show.