The long-in-development continuation of the Sherlock Holmes series led by Robert Downey Jr. has gotten a major update from the producer. Starring Downey as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes 3 was planned following 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but never got off the ground.
Both Sherlock Holmes movies of this era were directed by Guy Ritchie and also starred the likes of Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, Jared Harris as James Moriarty, and Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes. Both were well-liked box office hits, but have gained additional notoriety thanks to the very long hiatus and somewhat benefited from comparisons to the BBC’s Sherlock.
Now, in an interview with Collider, Susan Downey has affirmed that they still want to make Sherlock Holmes 3. The film producer commented on some of the events that caused the project to be delayed for so long, and alluded to an abandoned story idea while teasing the next movie’s plot moving things to a new location. Check out Downey’s full comments below:
We came pretty close at one point, and I think I am grateful that we didn’t make that version of it. I won’t go into what that was, which isn’t meant to sound cryptic. It just didn’t work out timing-wise, because we couldn’t get it in before Jude was going to be unavailable. I think it was a good thing that we all stepped back. And then there was a big old pandemic and all that kind of stuff.
I would love to bring a third Sherlock to the world. I really would. And we’ve been playing with it for a long time.
Downey further stated:
We’ve been talking about a slightly different direction. It’s always been kind of set in America, and whether that’s a good idea or not, I’m not sure, but I love it. I love that idea. So, I would just love to do it. It’s just hard. It’s been a while, the bar is really high, or at least Robert has set the bar really high, so I don’t know.
What This Means For Sherlock Holmes 3
Susan Downey’s comments, unfortunately, suggest that Sherlock Holmes 3 could still continue to hit major roadblocks, as they seemingly won’t start production until they are 100% confident in the script. She is even glad that they didn’t make the movie at a time when presumably everybody’s schedules, because going ahead with that version of the story would have been a mistake.
Robert Downey Jr.’s commitment to the MCU obviously took up a lot of time throughout the 2010s, obstructing Sherlock Holmes. However, his role in the franchise is at least now not as central, despite him stepping into the role of the primary villain in Avengers: Doomsday. Meanwhile, Jude Law is still undertaking standalone projects but is apparently done with the Fantastic Beasts series.
Thus, depending on the script, Sherlock Holmes 3 could just suddenly start production at any time. As far as the story goes, moving Holmes and Watson to a new environment will always be rife with possibilities. The fanbase will probably be more concerned about what kind of time jump might be incorporated and how A Game of Shadows’ ending is explained.
Our Take On Susan Downey’s Sherlock Holmes 3 Update
It is honestly amazing that people are still talking about this movie being made after more than a decade — and the cast and crew are taking it seriously. The reception to Sherlock Holmes 3 is going to be incredible if and when it finally does hit theaters, given the following it has maintained for 15 years, and the star power of the lead actors has only grown in that time.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2009
- Runtime
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129 minutes
- Writers
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Simon Kinberg, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram, Michael Robert Johnson, Arthur Conan Doyle
- Producers
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Joel Silver, Steve Clark-Hall, Dan Lin, Susan Downey