Sherlock Holmes villain voicing General Silanus in opening stages of upcoming strategy game.

Sherlock Holmes and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy actor Mark Strong is lending his voice to Total War: Rome II, publisher Sega announced today.

Strong will play the role of General Silanus, a character who guides players through the opening stages of Rome II.

"If you're trying to find a way to give him gravitas and to make him believable, you've got to make the lines sound like somebody you would follow into battle," Strong said in a new video. "So I've given him kind of a gravelly strength."

Rome II also features a soundtrack performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra conducted by The Dark Knight and I Am Legend veteran Jeff Atmajian.

The game launches September 3. It is the fastest preordered title in the history of the franchise.

Downloadable content will be available for all Rome II users on launch day for free. For more on the title, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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