Netflix's upcoming film, Enola Holmes, which revolves around Sherlock Holmes' kid sister, is facing a lawsuit by the Conan Doyle Estate for the portrayal of Sherlock as warm and empathetic. The film, which is based on Nancy Springer's book series, The Enola Holmes Mysteries, was acquired by Netflix in April. Millie Bobby Brown was cast as the titular Enola in early 2018, with Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter joining the cast not long after. That ensemble has many viewers excited, but there are some who aren't too thrilled about the film.
In 2014, the Doyle Estate lost its hold on the rights to any works before 1923, citing that those now belong to public domain. However, the Estate was able to maintain their authority over Doyle's final 10 original stories which were published between 1923 and 1927. According to THR, the Doyle Estate takes issue with Enola Holmes in particular for the fact that its portrayal of Sherlock is one of empathy and emotion, which they claim is a development found only in the ten original stories still owned by the Estate. The lawsuit, which claims copyright infringement and trademark violations, targets Netflix, Legendary Pictures, and Enola Holmes author, Nancy Springer, among others.
There have yet to be any comments from anyone involved in the production. A release date for the film has yet to be released, though fans of the detective family are surely looking forward to seeing how Sherlock is portrayed when the film is released.
Source: THR