Writer-director Guy Ritchie is known for bringing a unique style and directorial approach to every film he is a part of. One of the projects he is most known for is the Sherlock Holmes film that he made in 2009 followed by 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Led by Robert Downey Jr., the films served as a new take on the storied and legendary detective from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and went on to have a strong box office performance, with the first film ending its theatrical run at $524 million worldwide, a number eventually beaten by its sequel with a global cume of $543.4 million. The two films also starred Jude Law as Dr. John Watson and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.

With such a profitable series, it would only make sense to make a third film, and this is a topic that has been circulating for some time now. Collider‘s own Steven Weintraub had had the chance to sit down and talk to Ritchie about his upcoming film Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre where the topic of a third Sherlock Holmes film came up.

During the interview, Weintraub asked if a third outing will be made or if “that time has come and gone.” Ritchie responded without a yes or a no on whether another film will be made, saying simply:

“Well, honestly, I left this up to Robert [Downey Jr.]. So Robert wanted to be in charge of this. The ball’s in his court, so he’s in charge of the script, he’s in charge of the whole thing. I’ve moonwalked out of that until there’s a time for me to get involved.”

What Do We Know About Sherlock Holmes 3?

It has been over a decade since A Game of Shadows was released, but the series’ being dormant for that long hasn’t been due to a lack of trying. The plans for a Sherlock Holmes 3 was first announced by Warner Bros. in 2011 shortly after the release of the second film but went through many different writers, drafts, and ideas. It was eventually announced in 2019 that Dexter Fletcher (Bohemian Rhapsody) would replace Ritchie as the director and was given a tentative release date of 2020 before the film was put indefinitely on-hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of now, the future of the film is currently up in the air, though from his comments, Ritchie is more than happy to help whenever things once again start back up on the project.

Ritchie’s next film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, arrives in theaters on March 3.

via Collider