After all, Brett was not the first Sherlock. Remember the old Basil Rathbone portrayals from the 40s, some of them even recycled as propaganda films for WWII? And I really enjoyed the Robert Downey Jr/Jude Law interpretation of Holmes/Watson (although I would have swapped the two around). Nicol Williamson also did a creditable Holmes, although he didn't own that role as he did that of Merlin. There is also an American TV version where Watson is a glamorous young woman! Holmes is a distinctive, enduring character, and has been played by many actors, in both remakes of the old tales, or new ones set in that universe--or in ours..

But Holmes is also an icon in a familiar world, not unlike the plots of Shakespeare's plays. I don't mind new actors with a different take on the character, but messing with the text is something else. There's nothing bad about trying it, it's just a little jarring.

Besides, some portrayals are just definitive, like David Souchet's Hercule Poirot, or Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe. They weren't the first, or the last, to portray those characters, but they own the roles.

Gary Oldman did a terrific job in the role of George Smiley, and he deserves credit for the courage of even trying. But nothing, nobody can ever top the Alec Guinness portrayal.