First Look: Guy Ritchie Reimagines Sherlock Holmes With Young Sherlock

Guy Ritchie is back on the Sherlock beat, but this time he is starting at the very beginning. Prime Video just dropped a batch of first-look photos for 'Young Sherlock', and the pitch is pretty simple: take the teen years we never saw and turn them into a swaggering, action-first origin story.

The setup

Inspired by Andy Lane's 'Young Sherlock Holmes' novels, the series rewinds to the 1870s, when 19-year-old Sherlock is not a legend yet. He is disgraced, rough around the edges, and very much a work in progress. An Oxford University murder case threatens to land him in serious trouble, and his chaotic first investigation accidentally kicks open a globe-hopping conspiracy that ends up defining who he becomes. Think early-days Holmes, before Baker Street, but with the snap and mischief Ritchie brought to his feature films.

"In Young Sherlock we are going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they have never imagined before. We are going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love."

Yes, Ritchie directed all eight

Ritchie is not just the face on the poster. He executive produced the show and directed all eight episodes himself, which you do not see often on a series this size. Prime Video is literally selling it as irreverent and action-heavy, and based on the creative lineup, that checks out.

Who is involved

• Cast: Dónal Finn (The Wheel of Time), Zine Tseng (3 Body Problem), Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid's Tale), Natascha McElhone (Halo), Max Irons (Condor), Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
• Showrunner-writer: Matthew Parkhill, who is also an executive producer
• Executive producers: Guy Ritchie, Dhana Gilbert, Marc Resteghini, Simon Maxwell, Ivan Atkinson, Simon Kelton, Colin Wilson
• Co-executive producers: Harriet Creelman, Steve Thompson
• Production: Motive Pictures handled physical production
• Format: 8 episodes
• Setting: 1870s Oxford, with international detours
• Vibe: Fast, cheeky, and punchy in the vein of Ritchie's Sherlock films, but focused on the messy apprenticeship years
• Release: Hits Prime Video in 2026

Bottom line

It is a long runway to 2026, but the angle here is clear: take Holmes before the deerstalker, throw him into a case way over his head, and let Ritchie smash the gas. If the finished show matches the pitch, this could be the loudest, least buttoned-up Sherlock we have had yet.