Shooting for a new screen adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has started in Russia’s northern capital.
The series will consist of 16 episodes. Sherlock Holmes will be played by 34-year-old Russian actor Igor Petrenko, while the role of his devoted friend and assistant Dr. Watson was given to Andrey Panin.
The last Russian rendition of the famous detective’s exploits, shot in the 1980s, was praised both in the Soviet Union and Britain.
The actor playing Holmes was given an Order of the British Empire for his performance.
The creators of the new series say they are not trying to compete with the Soviet masterpiece – only to offer a new perspective on the story.
The movie will hit the big screens at the end of 2012.