Ritchie: Downey Jr the right man for Holmes role

Guy Ritchie directed ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to get away from his trademark gangster movies.

Guy – who made his name with British crime capers ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Snatch’ - wanted a big screen challenge to prove he is a versatile filmmaker.

He said: “I just felt that I wanted to move away from what it was that I’d been associated with and what I’d had enough of doing, to a degree.

“Then ‘Sherlock Holmes’ landed on my desk and I felt as though I could help to reboot an otherwise rather dusty, iconic literary hero.”

Guy, 41, also insists he ignores criticism for not casting a British actor in the lead role as the detective, instead opting for Robert Downey Jr.

He said: “People have asked me, ‘Why didn’t you cast a Brit’?’ The whole point is that you employ actors to act and Robert Downey Jr. is dramatically talented. And, also, his English accent is better than mine.”