Carter Burwell is set to reunite with director Bill Condon on the upcoming drama Mr. Holmes. The film stars Ian McKellan as Sherlock Holmes at age 93, as well as Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Hiroyuki Sanada, Roger Allam, Phil Davis, Frances de la Tour and Milo Parker. The movie is set in 1947, when an ageing Holmes returns from a journey to Japan and faces the end of his days, tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son. Jeffrey Hatcher (The Duchess, Casanova) has written the screenplay based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin. Anne Carey (The American, Adventureland) is producing the project for Archer Gray, alongside Iain Canning & Emile Sherman (The King’s Speech, Shame) of See-Saw Films. Burwell and Condon have previously collaborated on such films as Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and last year’s The Fifth Estate. Mr. Holmes has recently started shooting and is expected to premiere in 2015.
As previously reported, Burwell’s upcoming projects also include Todd Haynes’ Carol starring Rooney Mara & Cate Blanchett, as well as the HBO mini-series Olive Kitteridge directed by Lisa Cholodenko.
I like Burwell’s music and I think this project presents a huge opportunity for a beautifully thematic score.