As a child, he turned the pages of Sherlock Holmes stories beneath the soft glow of a bedside lamp, losing himself in worlds that stretched far beyond the walls of his room. Those stories shaped his wonder, whispered to his imagination, and planted the first quiet dream of storytelling in his heart.

Years later, the dream has come full circle. The boy who once wandered through those pages now stands behind the camera — ready to bring to life a film based on the life and legacy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For director Srijit Mukherji, it’s not just another film; it’s a homecoming, a dialogue between the man he’s become and the child who first believed in the magic of stories. Srijit is all set to direct Elementary, My Dear Holmes, a biopic of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The shoot begins in 2027.

The forthcoming British–Indian feature film will explore the multifaceted life of Conan Doyle — celebrated author, physician, and humanitarian — whose enduring creation, Sherlock Holmes, continues to shape popular culture more than a century after his first appearance.

The film intertwines the real-life events surrounding Arthur Conan Doyle with elements from his famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, in a gripping narrative that explores themes of justice, truth, and resilience.

Elementary, My Dear Holmes serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Arthur Conan Doyle and his iconic creation. As Doyle navigates the complexities of real-life crime and justice, he finds inspiration in the indomitable spirit of Sherlock Holmes, reminding us of the power of human resilience in the face of adversity.

“I first met Sherlock Holmes as a boy — not in Baker Street, but in the quiet between pages. Doyle’s stories were less about deduction than the anatomy of curiosity itself — the need to look harder, closer, deeper. That impulse stayed. Elementary, My Dear Holmes imagines Doyle stepping into his own fiction — a man haunted by the clarity he created, forced to apply it to a world far messier than the one on paper. The film begins with the murder of Mrs. Gilchrist and the wrongful arrest of Oscar Slater, but what interests me isn’t the crime — it’s the man watching his imagination blur with reality. I want the film to move like Doyle’s own sentences — precise, deliberate, but trembling with what’s unsaid. Victorian London isn’t nostalgia here; it’s an atmosphere of reason and decay, where intellect and morality constantly misfire. For me, this isn’t just an adaptation. It’s a reflection on the act of creation — on what happens when your invention begins to investigate you,” said Srijit Mukherji.

“A period drama based on the British icon, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to be directed by an Indian film-maker, Srijit Mukherji, represents the shared history of cultural and literary legacy between the two nations, marking this Indo-British co-production of high relevance. The film assumes a greater significance since Arthur Conan Doyle and his creation Sherlock Holmes remains possibly the UK’s greatest ever literary-cultural export to the world. Working on this film project has been a fascinating personal journey of discovering the polymathic vastness of the multi-faceted Doyle, whose interests and pursuits led him to be a physician, surgeon, military doctor, private investigator, advocate, spiritualist, historian and sportsperson, apart from a legendary author.

“This film is planned as an official Indo-British co-production under the existing UK-India Co-Production Treaty, administered by the British Film Institute (BFI) and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of India. And we are empowered by the Conan Doyle Estate onboarding this film as an associate producer, along with complete support from the Doyle family. This facilitates a rare access to a vast collection of priceless artefacts and documentation, allowing the film to maintain the highest levels of authenticity,” said Shahnaab Alam, producer, Invisible Thread (UK).

Invisible Thread Media Limited is a London-based screen content production company with a focus on stories that cross cultural boundaries. Formed by British/American producer Sophia Ali, and Indian producer Shahnaab Alam, the company operates with the understanding that stories are the threads that weave the tapestry of cultural confluences and are the carriers of human understanding that have shaped thoughts and ethos across time.

Meanwhile, Matchcut Productions, founded by Srijit, was born out of a love for cinema, and to bridge the gaps between creative vision, execution and viability.

“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is famous as the creator of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. But few today realise how active he was throughout his adult life in fighting injustice at home and abroad. The Conan Doyle Estate was therefore delighted to accept Invisible Thread’s request to be involved in the making of Elementary, My Dear Holmes. The Doyle family, through the Conan Doyle Estate, wants the world to realise what a remarkable man their ancestor was. We believe
this film will help us achieve that,” said Richard Pooley, director, Conan Doyle Estate.

“This isn’t just about more diverse stories, which are extremely important, but the international partnerships that offer new ways of telling stories, engaging with global audiences and more importantly changing the dynamics of who is telling those stories, backed by a world-class film facilitation to very attractive tax incentives. The UK is probably the most dynamic and valuable film-making destination,” said Munsur Ali, councilman, City of London.