McAdams on the case in "Sherlock Holmes"

By Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Rachel McAdams, whose movies credits include "The Notebook" and "The Wedding Crashers," will star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes."

Guy Ritchie is directing the feature, a reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's supersleuth, for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.

The movie takes its cue from a forthcoming comic book that producer Lionel Wigram wrote as a selling tool for a new take on the classic character. The concept sees Holmes as more adventurous and less stuffy than previous screen incarnations and mines more obscure character traits.

Downey will play Holmes, with Jude Law as his sidekick, Watson. Mark Strong ("RocknRolla") plays the main villain, Blackwood.

McAdams takes on the role of Holmes' enigmatic love interest, Irene Adler, a character who appeared in Conan Doyle's 1891 "A Scandal in Bohemia." The character appeared in only that one story, but McAdams would return for any possible sequel.

McAdams stars in "State of Play" with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, which is due in theaters in April, as well as "The Time Traveler's Wife," which will be released in fall 2009.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter