Netflix Is Being Sued Because Henry Cavill In Enola Holmes Is Too Nice A Sherlock

Netflix has committed the highest of the sins by making our ‘high-functioning sociopath’, Sherlock Holmes, a cute little emotional detective in the new movie Enola Holmes.

When you deal with Sherlock Holmes, you remember you are dealing with a sociopath. Sherlock simply doesn’t care, and that’s what Netflix forgot in the new movie “Enola Holmes”.

Highlights:

Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate sued Netflix over Sherlock in “Enola Holmes”.
Did Netflix just ruin Sherlock Holmes?
Emotional Sherlock Holmes is copyrighted.
The estate also added some literary analysis of the character.

Sherlock Holmes isn’t an emotional guy, he doesn’t care about brothers, sisters, and people. All he cares about are clues, cases, and justice. Netflix, however, forgot this basic trait and is now getting sued for it.

Netflix “Enola Holmes”, tells us the story of Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes’ rebellious young sister of the same name.

Fans are wondering from where this new family member came in the Holmes’ family riding on already fountaining IQ. Enola Holmes is not a part of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective series named “Sherlock Holmes”. Enola Holmes, the character, is a part of Sherlock Holmes’ book adaptation series “Enola Holmes” by Nancy Springer. And guess what?

Netflix is getting sued by Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate over Sherlock who reacts with “warmth and emotion” towards his sister.

Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate sued Netflix over Sherlock in “Enola Holmes”.

Though “Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is in the public domain. The estate of the Author has sued Netflix and Nancy Springer over making Sherlock emotional in the film and book series.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was partially transferred into the public domain by the court early in this decade. However, the stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created after WW-1 stayed under the copyrights of the estate.

Several adaptations of Sherlock Holmes have been made after the ruling. However, the Netflix film adaptation “Enola Holmes”, based on Nancy Springer’s book adaptations of “Sherlock Holmes”, treats Sherlock differently.

The estate accuses creators of using emotional and caring character traits of Sherlock Holmes which were introduced by the author in the later copyrighted stories. As per the complaint, the stories in the public domain have Sherlock famously as “aloof and unemotional”.

Making the character have empathy and emotions disrespects the original character in the public domain. It also marks the copyright infringement of the character traits introduced in later stories, claims the state.

Did Netflix just ruin Sherlock Holmes?

For the fans of Sherlock Holmes’ most popular and adored behavior of a “sociopath”, Netflix’s emotional addition might just ruin the character. However, the emotional trait is not Netflix’s addition and neither of the author of “Enola Holmes”.

Sherlock Holmes was softened and converted into a human who felt for people by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. This happened when Sir Arthur lost his brother and son in WW1.

Thus, the new Netflix version of Sherlock Holmes might introduce a side of Sherlock already a part of the legend but not well-known to the fans. Will this ruin the character or the legacy? This needs to be analyzed after the movie gets out.

Emotional Sherlock Holmes is copyrighted.

As per the estate, the emotional and caring traits of Sherlock were later developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Thus, such traits of Sherlock Holmes comes under the copyrights of the estate.

“After the stories that are now in the public domain and before the Copyrighted Stories, the Great War happened. In World War I Conan Doyle lost his eldest son, Arthur Alleyne Kingsley. Four months later he lost his brother, Brigadier-general Innes Doyle. When Conan Doyle came back to Holmes in the Copyrighted Stories between 1923 and 1927, it was no longer enough that the Holmes character was the most brilliant rational and analytical mind. Holmes needed to be human. The character needed to develop a human connection and empathy.

Conan Doyle made the surprising artistic decision to have his most famous character—known around the world as a brain without a heart—develop into a character with a heart. Holmes became warmer. He became capable of friendship, could express emotion. He began to respect women.”

The estate also added some literary analysis of the character.

In the complaint made by Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate, a literary analysis of the character, to prove how less caring and jerk he was, was also attached.

In the complaint, the estate cited:

“His closest companion, Watson, revered Holmes and was generous in his admiration. But to Holmes, Watson was utilitarian — to be employed when useful, then set aside. Holmes did not treat Watson with warmth.”

The Estate used the relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson to prove how Sherlock from the stories in the public domain didn’t care for anyone at all.

The analysis continues: “Holmes told him, ‘You have a grand gift for silence, Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.’ (‘The Man with the Twisted Lip.’) Holmes did not even congratulate Watson when Watson told Holmes he was going to marry Holmes’s client Mary Morstan.”

The estate is not only suing Netflix but also Nancy Springer, the publisher Penguin Random House, and the production company.

Millie Bobby Brown, who portrays Eleven in Stranger Things, stars as Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’ sister, in the latest Netflix movie. Interestingly, The Witcher star, and DC’s present Superman, Henry Cavill, stars in the movie as Sherlock Holmes.

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