LOS ANGELES:

British comic Sacha Baron Cohen is to play detective Sherlock Holmes in a spoof movie based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary supersleuth, Daily Variety reported on July 2.

Baron Cohen — who shot to stardom as a hapless Kazakh journalist in the hit mockumentary Borat — will team up with Will Ferrell, who is to play Holmes’ faithful sidekick, Doctor Watson.

Variety reported that the as-yet-untitled film will be co-produced by Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow, the brains behind a string of hit comedies including The 40-year-old Virgin and Superbad. The movie will see Baron Cohen and Ferrell united for the first time since their appearance together in the 2006 comedy Talladega Nights.

“Just the idea of Sacha and Will as Sherlock Holmes and Watson makes us laugh,” said Columbia Pictures co-president Matt Tolmach. “Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet, and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious.” — AFP