Rhys Ifans joins CBS’ Elementary as Mycroft Holmes

I was pleasantly surprised with the first season of ELEMENTARY. As a big fan of the BBC series SHERLOCK, I wasn’t sure how any contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes would compete with it. But, Jonny Lee Miller‘s take on the detective is a much more spastic/recovering addict take on the character while Lucy Liu‘s Joan Watson is a suprisingly unique perspective on the sidekick. For those of you who made it through the complete season, you know that the show revealed Moriarty and it is a version of the nemesis we have never seen. Quite intriguing.

So, for the second season, new characters need to be introduced. One we know for sure will be appearing will be Mycroft, Sherlock’s older brother, and he will be played by Rhys Ifans. Ifans, best known for his roles in NOTTING HILL and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN amongst other parts, will be introduced right at the start of the new season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the season opener, Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) is called to London to revisit an old case, where he is forced to face his older brother. Although the siblings suffered a falling-out years ago, Mycroft allows Sherlock and Joan (Lucy Liu) to stay in his home at 221B Baker Street. With Joan in the middle, the Holmes brothers are forced to confront their complex past.

Ifans is a great actor who can play both dramatic and comedic. He could not play a more varied range of characters than he has in movies like ANONYMOUS, LITTLE NICKY, and many more. I am curious if he will play Mycroft as a serious foil to Miller’s take on Sherlock, or more of an enabling junkie who pulls his brother down with him.

We will find out when ELEMENTARY premieres on September 26 on CBS.