Sherlock season 4 has officially begun filming, and BBC has already lined up one of the new adversaries to face Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s Sherlock Holmes and John Watson to confront.
BBC has announced that veteran actor Toby Jones will appear in the second episode of Sherlock season 4 as one of the classic villains from the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But beyond that, there aren’t any details about which villain that may be. The only thing Jones had to say himself was “I’m excited and intrigued by the character I shall be playing in Sherlock.”
Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat said that he was “delighted to have Toby Jones on board, bringing to life one of Doyle’s finest villains.” Moffat’s Sherlock partner, Mark Gatiss added his own statement: “We’re thrilled to welcome one of our finest actors to the Sherlock family. I know Toby will embrace the part with true relish!”
Related: ‘Sherlock’ Season 4 Begins Filming
That leaves an important question unanswered: Who will Jones portray? Obviously, James Moriarty and Charles Augustus Magnussen are out. And it’s a pretty big drop to go from Moriarty and Magnussen to John Clay, “The Red-headed League’s” villain who was only the “fourth smartest man in London.” And we’re afraid that Jones just doesn’t have the looks to play James Windibank or Baron Adelbert Gruner. Both of those characters were noted for their ability to seduce women in their lives.
So, who’s left? We like Jones for Heinrich Von Bork or Hugo Oberstein, both of whom were German spies in Conan Doyle’s stories. We’d say that Jones had some experience playing a malevolent German in Captain America: The First Avenger, but he was actually Swiss in that movie.
Who do you think Jones will play in Sherlock season 4? Share your theories below!