A third Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr. has been long rumoured, but the project just can’t seem to get out of development hell. The first Sherlock Holmes feature film in this particular series, which Guy Ritchie directed and was published in 2009, starred RDJ as the title character and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. Later, Ritchie would helm the 2011 follow-up, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which recast Downey and Law. The franchise has been the subject of sequel discussions for the past ten years, but Sherlock Holmes 3 has been stuck in development hell ever since.
The lack of a threequel for the films hasn’t been for lack of effort, as Ritchie revealed in a recent interview with Collider on Sherlock Holmes 3. Essentially, Ritchie claims that he has done everything within his power to bring about the film at this point, to the point where he has “moonwalked” away from it aware that it is no longer in his control. Ritchie doesn’t want to engage with the project any longer until it gets to the point where he’s actually needed to start working on the movie, according to the director, so it’s up to Downey to figure things out.
“Sincerely speaking, I left Robert [Downey Jr.] in charge of this. Robert therefore desired to oversee this. He is in control of everything because the ball is in his court, even the script. I have pulled away from that until it is appropriate for me to get involved.”
What’s Happening with Sherlock Holmes 3?
Downey declared he has plans to expand his Sherlock Holmes franchise last year. Other Sherlock Holmes spinoffs for HBO Max were said to be in the works, but it’s unclear if he also intends to perform in them, possibly playing the investigator. But spinoffs aren’t the same as Sherlock Holmes 3, even if the threequel’s director, Dexter Fletcher, who had previously been attached to the project, later admitted to Collider that he still thinks it will happen despite the pandemic putting those plans on hold forever.
I do believe it will be produced, he declared. “I believe it must be produced. Unfortunately, I don’t know when that will happen, but I think it should. It’s wonderful. I believe it has to do with the proper individuals being present at the appropriate time and location. That is, in my opinion. One of those horrible turns of events occurred when the epidemic struck and people were thrown to the winds all around the planet. Yet, I am well aware of the enormous appetite for it, and I’m sure that others are as well. But, I think it ought to be since it’s fantastic. I sincerely hope so.”
Time will tell what happens to the Sherlock Holmes franchise next and whether the HBO Max spinoffs also end up becoming stuck in the production quagmire with Sherlock Holmes 3.
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