Sherlock Gets Lara Pulver

Actress Lara Pulver has been cast in a role for the second series of Sherlock, the BBC have revealed today. The programme, continuing after a successful opening run of three episodes, chronicles the investigations of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and his post-war accomplice Dr John Watson. Pulver is set to portray Irene Adler, a romantic interest for Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle's novels who was most recently brought to life by Rachel McAdams in the 2009 Robert Downey Jr version. The character first appeared in the short story A Scandal in Bohemia, interpreted by many as being an anti-heroine whose attraction to Sherlock restrains her from taking his life when he steps in her path. Considering the first episode of the new season is titled A Scandal in Belgravia, it isn't a far stretch of the imagination to think Pulver will appear in the opener, especially as last year executive producer Steven Moffat teased that "the critical words [for Series 2] would be 'Adler, Hound, Reichenbach'". McAdams' character will be making more frequent appearances in the Downey Jr franchise, but whether Pulver's does the same is up to Moffat and co-producer Mark Gatiss. Only time will tell! Sherlock returns in Spring 2012.