Rachel McAdams has signed on to star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes, the Guy Ritchie-directed reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuthy detective for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie takes its cue from a forthcoming comic book that producer Lionel Wigram wrote as a selling tool for a new take on the classic character. The concept sees Holmes as more adventurous and less stuffy than previous screen incarnations and mines more obscure character traits.

Downey will play Holmes while Mark Strong (RocknRolla) plays the main villain, Blackwood. Jude Law is portraying Holmes' colleague Watson.

McAdams plays Holmes' enigmatic love interest, Irene Adler, a character who appeared in Doyle's 1891 "A Scandal in Bohemia." While the character only appeared in that one story, McAdams' personage would return for any possible sequel.

The film will begin shooting next month.

Sherlock Holmes was released December 25th, 2009 and stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Robert Maillet, Geraldine James, Kelly Reilly. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie.