There's no doubt that Iron Man put Robert Downey, Jr. right on the top of the A-List. The world couldn't be happier for him, and I think we're all excited to see what juicy roles he nabs as a result.

An intriguing rumor floating around Entertainment Weekly is that Downey, Jr. has his eye on a character even more iconic than Tony Stark -- Sherlock Holmes. If you remember, last week we reported that Guy Ritchie is helming Warner Brothers' reboot of the famous detective. The new Holmes will be a swashbuckling action hero, and based not on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, but Lionel Wigram's comic book.


I have to admit, his is the last name I would have expected to be attached, as I expected they would immediately look to England for casting the role, although Iron Man certainly proved the talented actor can handle action. Given his own history with substance abuse, Downey, Jr shouldn't have any trouble tapping into Holmes' darker side of addiction to illegal substances. Frankly, though, I wonder if that's the sad reason Downey, Jr. is being considered -- are studios sending him every character who is an addict, or recovering from addiction? I hope not, he deserves a wider range than that!

Much depends on what Wigram is envisioning the new Holmes to be, and as the comic is yet to be released, it is hard to pick a side. If it was an adaptation of the classic Holmes, I'm not sure I could get behind casting Downey, Jr., as I'm more inclined to Hugh Laurie in that case. I kind of feel the role of the great detective should go to a British actor in the end, but I'm stodgy that way. What do you think about Downey, Jr. as Holmes? Like the idea? Hate it? Sound off on this (potential) casting and let us know who you think should nab the role.