If you’ve been holding out hope for a third Sherlock Holmes movie from Guy Ritchie, it appears the long-awaited sequel might actually happen after all. While the core trio of Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law have maintained all along that they’re game to return if they can crack a worthwhile story, that has thus far remained elusive in the years since the 2011 release of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Now, it appears, the story may have just been cracked.
Last we heard, Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce was working on a screenplay, and during an interview with Shortlist, Downey Jr. revealed that movement is happening on Sherlock Holmes 3 at this very moment:
“We’re talking about it right now. NOW. I can’t wait… I know Guy Ritchie loves me as much as I love him – and he damn well should. When we’re making those Sherlock movies it is off the hook. We’ll attempt to make one this year. It really is a big deal to go and do those movies. I’m tired all the time, but I’m excited about it.”
Ritchie is coming off the criminally underseen The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which is a total blast, and most recently helmed the upcoming gritty reboot Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur. He hasn’t yet signed on to a follow-up film, so it’s possible that Sherlock Holmes 3 could be it, although I do wonder exactly what “we’ll attempt to make one this year” means given that Downey Jr.’s schedule is pretty booked solid.
The actor is currently on the worldwide press tour for Captain America: Civil War and then at the end of this year presumably reports for duty for the two-part Avengers: Infinity War epic, with both movies being shot simultaneously. That’ll be a massive undertaking, and unless Downey Jr. dies or goes into a coma in Civil War, he presumably has a substantial role in those Avengers sequels. It’s unlikely Sherlock Holmes 3 could be prepped in time to start shooting before Infinity War, so the likelihood of the Sherlock sequel actually going before cameras this year seems somewhat dubious.
However, it’s possible that Downey Jr. could move right into Sherlock Holmes 3 directly after Infinity War, so perhaps the sequel is being eyed for a 2017 shoot. Whatever the case, Downey Jr. clearly seems keen on making the follow-up a reality, so it looks like this may actually happen after all.
The 2009 original grossed a worldwide total of $524 million and its follow-up, A Game of Shadows, did marginally better with $545.4 million worldwide, so Warner Bros. would no doubt he happy to greenlight Sherlock Holmes 3. Let’s just hope the third film is a bit more compelling than the last two.
