Cohen, Ferrell to star in Holmes comedy

LOS ANGELES, July 2 (UPI) -- Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell are set to play British detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. John Watson in a big-screen Hollywood comedy.

Variety.com said "Tropic Thunder" scribe Etan Cohen is writing the screenplay for the untitled project, while Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller will produce the film inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales.

Baron Cohen and Ferrell previously played rival race car drivers in "Talladega Nights," which Apatow and Miller also produced, the entertainment industry trade paper noted.

"Just the idea of Sacha and Will as Sherlock Holmes and Watson makes us laugh," Columbia Pictures co-president Matt Tolmach told Variety.com. "Sacha and Will are two of the funniest and most talented guys on the planet, and having them take on these two iconic characters is frankly hilarious."