Taking the world by storm in 2009 was Guy Ritchie‘s first Sherlock Holmes film, and it was brilliantly followed up with an equally successful sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, in 2011. In the years that have followed, it’s been a waiting game for fans of the iconic franchise who hoped to see a third installment. Despite being stuck in development purgatory for what has felt like an eternity, one thing that has not been lost in all that time is the will to make Sherlock Holmes 3. Adapting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s eponymous detective, the mystery action franchise was co-lead by two-time Oscar nominee, Jude Law, who played Dr. John Watson. The actor has recently offered an encouraging script update for the third film.
While Law brought John Watson to life, the task of portraying his crime-solving best friend and confidant went to Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes. The journey to deliver Sherlock Holmes 3 has taken the better part of 13 years and is yet to materialize. However, while speaking with The Playlist, to discuss his true story crime thriller The Order, the actor did offer an update for fans who have been waiting for quite some time. Law confirmed to the outlet that a “new iteration” of the script had been completed, but he hadn’t read it. With the third installment first confirmed in 2011, and still not coming to fruition since, this sounds a step in the right direction. Law‘s comments read:
“Gosh, yeah, that’s interesting [there were once plans for a time travel storyline]. The plan has been evolving over how many years it’s been now, probably nearly ten years. There’s a great will to make it. And a great will amongst us all to get it right to do it, to find the time, to find the right team. The one great thing I took from both of those films is my friendship with Robert [Downey Jr.] and his wife Susan, they mean an awful lot to me. The hope is we’re still going to do it. I think there’s a new iteration of the script I haven’t yet read. And then there’s a case of “How expensive is it? And can we get it made?” [Laughs] But honestly, also, there’s a friendship, but also the experience of working with Robert, and he really does bring an extraordinarily brilliant, fun, motivated, and inspirational kind of quality to a film set, and I miss it being a part of that. It was a great experience.”
The first and second Sherlock Holmes movies were directed by Guy Ritchie — Dexter Fletcher is expected to take the directorial reins from Ritchie for the third outing. It has doubtless been a frustrating few years waiting for all the pieces to fall in place. Producer Susan Downey did confirm in June that the project was still very much alive. She said at the time:
“Every day we talk about ‘What is the best next version of that?’ Anytime I see Robert and Jude [Law] together, which fortunately, I do get to see a few times a year, we hang out, and I’m just like, ‘Can I get these guys back on screen together?’ It’s magic. There needs to be a really strong reason, it needs to be a great story, and we do have some things in the works.”
The ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Universe Is Expanding
Hopes for a third installment of Sherlock Holmes is one shared by much of the franchise’s cast and crew, as clearly stated by Ritchie‘s comments to Collider in 2022. “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,” he revealed. However, while it might seem like the films are currently on the back burner right now, the Sherlock Holmes universe is set to expand with a Young Sherlock Holmes series in the works with Ritchie attached to direct.
A release date hasn’t been set for the upcoming Sherlock Holmes series.
via Collider