Ralph Fiennes, Hugh Laurie Join Will Ferrell in Sony’s ‘Holmes and Watson’ (Exclusive)

Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Laurie may find their next gig to be anything by elementary.

The Oscar-nominated Fiennes and the Emmy-winning Laurie have joined Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Holmes and Watson, Sony’s comedic take on literature’s great detective, Sherlock Holmes.

In the third team-up for Ferrell and Reilly (2006’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and 2008’s Step Brothers were their previous partnerships), Ferrell is starring as Holmes and Reilly is playing his erstwhile sidekick, Dr. Watson.

Character details are being kept locked up in the basement of 221B Baker St., but sources say Fiennes and Laurie will slip on the shoes of two famed characters from the Holmes oeuvre.

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Etan Cohen wrote and is directing the movie, which recently began shooting in London. Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller and Clayton Townsend are producing.

Jonathan Kadin is overseeing the pic for Columbia. Chris Henchy and Jessica Elbaum are overseeing for Gary Sanchez Productions.

Fiennes last appeared in scene-stealing work in the Coen Bros.’ Hail, Caesar! These days, the actor, nominated for an Oscar for Schindler’s List and known the world over for playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, is more heard than seen: He voiced a key character in stop-motion animation darling Kubo and the Two Strings and lends his pipes to Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in next month’s The Lego Batman Movie. He is repped by CAA, and Dalzell and Beresford in the UK.

Laurie is up for a Golden Globe this weekend for his performance in AMC’s The Night Manager, and he also appeared in HBO’s Veep. The actor, who also stars in Hulu’s series Chance, was last seen on the big screen as the villain in Disney’s Tomorrowland. He is repped by WME and the U.K.’s Hamilton Hodell.