For months, Netflix has been promising a unique film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes' adventurous sister, Enola Holmes. However, the movie has hit a minor roadblock in its production, as the Conan Doyle Estate emerges with a lawsuit against the streaming service. Although the character has been adapted by Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch, the newest actor to don the deerstalker cap appears to be changing Sherlock's demeanor a bit too much.

Netflix's version of Sherlock Holmes will be played by Henry Cavill, although he will have a minor role in the film due to its focus being on Enola Holmes, portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown. Cavill is also preparing for Netflix's The Witcher season 2, which conveniently keeps him out of the spotlight of the new film and allows him to focus on slaying monsters. Despite playing such a minor role, the Conan Doyle Estate has filed a lawsuit against Netflix for the portrayal of the famous detective.

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In the simplest of terms,  the lawsuit "alleges that a difference between the public domain stories and the copyrighted ones is emotions." Although a majority of the Sherlock Holmes adventures are in the public domain, the Conan Doyle Estate has claim to the last 10 original stories, written between 1923 and 1927. In these stories owned by the Estate, Sherlock shows a more relatable level of emotion, due to the loss of his son and brother, rather than his traditional cold demeanor. This addition of empathy is what the Estate is laying claim to, and attempting to sue Netflix over. The detective is known for harboring an inner turmoil and sheltering his true feelings, leading to a distant character that can be adapted without fear of trademark violations. With this most recent lawsuit, a new question has been raised: can Sherlock's development of emotions and humanity be protected by copyright law?

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Although Netflix and Legendary Films have yet to release an official response to this claim, news of the lawsuit has been flooding the internet since its filing on Tuesday, June 23. Additionally, this is not the first lawsuit that the Conan Doyle Estate has made regarding the portrayal of the analytical genius. In 2015, the Estate attempted to sue Miramax over their film Mr. Holmes, though this dispute was quickly settled.

According to the lawsuit, the film is has a planned release date of August 2020, though the date has possibly been moved back to September due to coronavirus. Neither date has been confirmed, and the events of this case are still in development.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter