Robert Downey Jr., who recently blew away the American box office in Iron Man, will star in a new take on Sherlock Holmes, to be directed by Guy Ritchie.  The story is being developed from a yet-to-be-published comic based on the character by producer Lionel Wigram.  Wigram was the exec producer on two of the Harry Potter films. 

This would complete a hat trick of comic-based movies for Downey over the next couple of years.  He’s also attached to the Iron Man sequel, of course (see “Iron Man Sequel in 2010”), and Cowboys and Aliens (see “Iron Man Finds a New Home on the Range”), both planned for a 2010 release.  Holmes is slated for October 2009.    

The take on the Holmes character reportedly focuses more on adventure than on the cerebral pursuits of the character in most previous incarnations.