I am certainly a bigger fan of Holmes than Houdini. I have been a fan since I was a kid. I've read all of the original stories and dozens of stories written by other authors. I once wrote a Holmes story for a college course (and yes I got an A). I got my first deer stalker in High School and wore it throughout my college years (although none of the ones I own still fit my head (insert giant ego jokes here), and while Conan Doyle never said he wore a deerstalker hat, the hat described by Watson in the books, would most assuredly was a deerstalker, and it is certainly the head gear we all associate with him. I also have a meerschaum pipe.
While Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Robert Downey Jr, and Benedict Cumberbatch might be the first that come to mind, there have been over 250 actors who have played Holmes, more than any other literary character. I've seen dozens of these and I'd have to say Rathbone and Brett are among my favorites, of course part of the large number of movies/episodes they did. Rathbone established how many picture Holmes, but many consider Brett's portrayal as being truer to the original stories (with Burke and Hardwickes' version of Watson less 'bumbling' then Nigel Bruce's). I think Cumberbatch has done a good job in bringing that same haugtiness to the role as Brett did. Regardless, we would not be basing it around any one specific actor or their take on the character.
Obviously this is a title I have had interest in and the company grabbed it to at least humor me. If we do it, and there is certainly no guarantee we will, it has to be done right and while I do have a ton of ideas, until I have it mapped out in way a way that makes it truly special, it will remain on the back burner. It certainly would not be like most other machines, so, I already know some will love that and some will hate that. Having said all of this, most of you know I will happily take good ideas from anywhere and take credit for them -- odds are I already thought of it anyway , so, feel free to make suggestions and I'll tuck them away for future use.