Brad Pitt as Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes Sequel?

Published by Jeff Leins on: August 20th, 2009

On Monday, British news outlet the Daily Mirror ran a story claiming Brad Pitt was joining the cast of Sherlock Holmes as Moriarty, the detective’s arch-nemesis.  Director Guy Ritchie needed someone for a last minute new scene and he called up Pitt, who worked with him on Snatch.

Supposedly Pitt has made a special trip to London for reshoots on the film that introduce the character in some capacity.  The article claims the film’s new Christmas Day release date is related to the additional material.

Warner Bros immediately debunked it, saying it was a rumor and Pitt wasn’t a part of the re-imagining starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams.  Mark Strong plays the main villain in this one, Lord Blackwood.  Or is he?  He is.  Or… is he…?

Yesterday, Ritchie spoke with MTV who confirmed Moriarty will be in the story.  “Some kind of an appearance is probably the best way to describe it,” the Holmes director said. When pressed, and asked if an actor is credited as Moriarty, Ritchie’s reply was “I believe not.” This still doesn’t clarify whether Pitt is playing the character though.

Speculation is Moriarty appears in a final scene or after the credits that sets up a sequel.  Warner Bros may have seen the final cut, discovered they have a hit on their hands, and started moving forward with another Sherlock mystery.  Perhaps we’ll see more of Moriarty and possibly Pitt in the next movie.