A new television series focusing on Sherlock Holmes' arch nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, is in development from Fremantle and Archery Pictures. The working title is simply 'Moriarty', and it will be written by Chris Cornwell ('A Discovery of Witches', 'Doctor Who: Redacted') and Oliver Lansley ('Flack', 'Where’s Wanda?').
The series is described as a 'modern reinvention of the crime procedural' and offers a major twist: Moriarty, a professor of criminal psychology at Durham University who secretly masterminds sophisticated crime in the North of England, will join the police as a consultant to take down a rival criminal threatening his empire. He is paired with Detective Imogen Burrows, a stoic Yorkshire detective, and must keep his true identity hidden.
No casting has been announced yet. The role of Moriarty has previously been played by Jared Harris, Andrew Scott, and Dónal Finn. Archery Pictures founder Kris Thykier said the series will 'show audiences what it takes to be a criminal genius, combining genre thrills with a playful, dark, and thrilling dive into the psychology of villainy.'
Fremantle's Rebecca Dundon added that they saw 'huge potential for a commercial, returning franchise that brings to life one of the more allusive characters in the Sherlock world.' The series joins other recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations including Prime Video's 'Young Sherlock', CBS's 'Watson', and Sky's upcoming 'The Death of Sherlock Holmes'.
