The first Mr. Holmes trailer has arrived, revealing Ian McKellen as a 93-year-old iteration of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective Sherlock Holmes.  Previously titled A Slight Trick of the Mind, the film was directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey) and takes place in 1947, where Holmes is now living in retirement with his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her amateur-sleuthing son.  Holmes is haunted by a cold case from fifty years ago, and sets out to solve it once and for all without his dear Watson at his side.

The trailer has an odd mix of melancholy and triumph as we see that Holmes is starting to lose his memories, but he also has a chance at solving an old case.  It will be interesting to see where Condon will take the film with regards to its tone, but there's plenty of promise here with regards to the lead actors and their director.  That's enough to make this standout amongst our recent glut of Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Watch the debut Mr. Holmes trailer below. The film will open in theaters later this year.

Via Miramax and Roadside Attractions.

Here’s the official synopsis for Mr. Holmes:

MR. HOLMES is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective.1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare.  Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger.  Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.

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