Guy Ritchie's Young Sherlock Holmes Series Changes A Major Piece Of The Detective's Lore

"Sherlock Holmes" is one of the most adapted literary properties of all time, so what will Guy Ritchie's upcoming "Young Sherlock" series for Prime Video do that we haven't seen before? Well, it looks like the teenage Sherlock (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and his greatest nemesis, James Moriarty (Dónal Finn), will be friends for a change — until they aren't, anyway.

First introduced in 1893's "The Final Problem," Moriarty doesn't show up in person very often in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, but his significance to the lore evolved over the years via Holmes' enduring presence in pop culture. From the BBC's "Sherlock" to CBS' "Watson," Moriarty menaces London's dynamic duo in numerous adaptations, often portrayed as the nefarious yin to Holmes' righteous yang.

"I always imagined what it would be like: How did they end up such mortal enemies? And I always thought, what if he had this incredible friendship?" showrunner Matthew Parkhill told Entertainment Weekly about the decision to chum up the two rivals.

He continued, "You kind of get two origin stories for the price of one. ... And I think if these two hadn't met, it's sort of like a pinball and a pinball machine. If they hadn't met, Sherlock wouldn't have become the Sherlock that we know, and Moriarty wouldn't have become Moriarty."

Tiffin, meanwhile, went into the project hoping for Sherlock and Moriarty to butt heads as soon as possible. However, he told Entertainment Weekly that he believes making them friends will be "really fun for people to watch" in the long run.