There is no shortage of new movies and television shows. The problem is the lack of new stories. This is not the fault of writers or directors, but rather a limitation of being human. There are only so many stories to be told.

Consider Sherlock Holmes. In the nearly 150 years since his creation, there have been more than 200 films featuring him, as well as countless books, television shows, and radio programs. It’s not just Holmes who’s been over-exposed: Dracula has appeared in at least 230 films and countless television shows; Frankenstein has appeared in more than 200; and even The Invisible Man has appeared in nearly 100.

And yet who could honestly say that these characters have been properly explored? These are fictional creations with limitless potential for unique stories; but in the hands of Hollywood they have become one-dimensional characters whose appeal lies not in their depth, but rather in familiarity.

If we are to continue to promote creativity and originality, we must recognize that some characters are better off left alone. The movie industry should institute a “Moriarty Agenda,” which would ban all Sherlock Holmes adaptations for 15 years and allow these characters to regain their mystery and intrigue.

The Moriarty Agenda: A Review of the Sherlock Holmes Canon

Sherlock Holmes has been an iconic figure on the page and screen for decades. He’s enjoyed many incarnations, including Robert Downey Jr.’s bumbling, self-absorbed 2011 character. However, in all his iterations, there’s one glaring omission that must be addressed: we’ve never known a Moriarty backstory.

The recent Netflix series The Crown has introduced the world to a new Moriarty: a menacing but sympathetic man who uses his genius for evil. It’s a fascinating (if not historically accurate) portrayal of a man who may have been born bad but was also made so by circumstance and choice. We should demand more entertainment with this level of complexity and insight.

And there’s no better place to start than with our beloved Sherlock Holmes. After all, it was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself who said that “Moriarty is the Napoleon of crime.” While we can only guess at Doyle’s intentions, one thing is certain: he left us wanting more.

In this article I’ll examine three core questions about Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis that deserve to be answered in film or television. Is Professor James Moriarty just as clever as Sherlock? What is his endgame? And why

Pity actor Jared Harris. The son of actor Richard Harris (Harry Potter’s Dumbledore) and the brother of actor Jamie Harris (Ender Wiggin in the upcoming Ender’s Game movie), he was given a plum role as Professor James Moriarty in Guy Ritchie’s recent Sherlock Holmes sequel, A Game of Shadows.

How could this be a problem? The guy played Lane Pryce on Mad Men, for crying out loud. He knows how to act. He’s a great actor. I love Jared Harris!

But consider that fact that his character, Moriarty, is supposed to be the greatest criminal mastermind of all time. The man who created the fabled “Moriarty Agenda.” In other words, he’s supposed to be an evil genius. And yet … he looks like this:

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Now imagine you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes and you’ve waited for years for the sequel to come out, only to see Jared Harris – who looks like this – play Moriarty. You’d probably feel a little … let down. And that’s exactly what happened when A Game of Shadows finally came to theaters last month.

A movie or tv show is nothing without its actors, and there are few roles that are more iconic than the series main antagonist. And while there are plenty of amazing and interesting antagonists out there, it’s hard to find one that is as complex as the Sherlock Holmes series’ Moriarty.

Moriarty has been played by two actors on the small screen and three in film, but I’d like to take this time to focus on the man who brought him to life for two seasons and 6 episodes of BBC’s Sherlock: Andrew Scott.

What makes Moriarty so interesting is how he doesn’t fit into any clear box. He can be a charming psychopath, a scheming mastermind, a psychopathic genius, and anything else you could imagine. He can be terrifying and hilarious in the same scene. He can be calm or manic in an instant. He can be a monster or a human being in your eyes while still maintaining his allure and mystery.

Scott brings all of these aspects of Moriarty together to create one of the most compelling characters ever seen on television. The show has proven itself time and time again with its writing and acting, but Scott’s performance is what truly elevates every scene he’s in, whether it’s with his nemesis Sherlock Holmes

It’s a good time to be Andrew Scott. Even if you don’t know his name, you know his face: it’s the one that’s been haunting Sherlock (and Sherlock fans) for years, the secret weapon that the BBC has been holding back in reserve.

But now, Scott is out in the open, and soon he’ll be everywhere. And yes, that includes American theaters: Scott is playing Jim Moriarty in Guy Ritchie’s new movie version of Sherlock Holmes; Moriarty comes onscreen about two-thirds of the way through the film, but his presence is felt earlier on as Holmes starts to piece together his adversary’s identity.

The casting is a stroke of genius — but then again, so was casting Scott as Moriarty in the first place. The Irish actor was virtually unknown when he was cast on the series, and he made it clear from the start that this wasn’t going to be your typical villain-of-the-week portrayal.

“Because I’m not an English actor,” he told Scotland’s Sunday Herald [http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/film-news/sherlock-star-on-his-latest-role.19918757] last year, ”

When the news broke that Andrew Scott had been cast as Sherlock’s nemesis, Jim Moriarty, on BBC’s Sherlock, many fans were up in arms. “Andrew Scott?!!!”, they cried. “He looks like a midget!” Others even went so far as to say that he was too handsome to play the insane genius bent on destroying Sherlock Holmes.

But I say those people have it all wrong.

Sure, he may not look like the comic book or movie versions of Moriarty. But this is Sherlock we’re talking about here; a show made famous by taking risks and making bold choices. The casting of Martin Freeman as Watson is just one example of this. If anyone can pull off a different take on Moriarty, it’s these guys.

And really, did anyone really expect them to recast with someone who looked like Jared Harris?

When I was offered the role of Professor James Moriarty, I jumped at the chance. What actor wouldn’t want to play the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes?

I’d read a few of Doyle’s stories, but when I got the part, I did some more research. I was surprised by how little of Moriarty was in the original stories. In fact, he only has two lines in “The Final Problem.” But Doyle had clearly painted a vivid portrait of him since he is referenced throughout “Return of Sherlock Holmes” and “The Hound of The Baskervilles.”

So, if he wasn’t a main character, what made him important to my part?

Moriarty is one of fiction’s first villains with no backstory. There is little debate over his motivations because he has none. He “is the Napoleon of crime,” which means that he has no particular ambition other than to commit crime. And this makes him terrifying and fascinating.

It also makes him extremely difficult to portray on screen, because you can’t rely on backstory to flesh out his motivations and actions. Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes is partly based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself and we know quite a bit about Doyle’s life and why he created Sherlock Holmes