This week sees the release of Enola Holmes 2 on Netflix – with Millie Bobby Brown returning for another case as Sherlock’s less famous sister, this time looking into the mysterious disappearance of a young girl.
The Stranger Things star is one of many familiar faces back from the original film, with Henry Cavill also reprising his role as Sherlock Holmes, and Adeel Akhtar, Helena Bonham Carter, and Louis Partridge back as Lestrade, Eudoria, and Tewkesbury respectively.
But there is one star notably absent – with no sign of Sam Claflin as Sherlock and Enola’s rather arrogant older brother Mycroft, and hardly a mention of the character throughout the film’s runtime.
It’s not immediately clear why Claflin isn’t involved in the sequel – Mycroft does appear in the second novel in Nancy Springer’s book series and RadioTimes.com did not receive a response when we reached out to Claflin’s reps for clarification.
Furthermore, Claflin had previously stated that he would like to appear in a sequel, telling MovieWeb in 2022: “It’s not in my hands, but I’d definitely be open to another one.”
He added: “I had a lot of fun doing it. There’s material there – and I’m always wanting more work, so my door is always open.”
Of course, the most likely explanation is that he was simply unable to appear in the second film due to a scheduling clash. Filming on Enola Holmes 2 took place between August 2021 and January 2022, and in that time Claflin was filming his role in the upcoming series Daisy Jones & The Six – so it could well have proved impossible for him to make them both work.
Should we hear any more about why Claflin wasn’t included – and whether we can expect to see him back as Mycroft in any subsequent Enola Holmes films – we’ll update this page accordingly.
Enola Holmes 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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