Increased pressure from the show’s fanbase has ostensibly ruined the experience of creating new episodes of Sherlock.
That’s according to Martin Freeman (Black Panther), who spoke candidly about Sherlock‘s future – or lack thereof – in an interview with The Telegraph.
The hit BBC detective series has been on hiatus ever since the finale of season 4, leading many to wonder whether 221b Baker Street had actually closed its doors indefinitely. Granted, the jury’s still out on that one, but while promoting Black Panther, Freeman admitted that he doesn’t miss the experience of filming Sherlock. And rampant fans are partly to blame.
Not massively. Um… I think after series four [it] felt like a pause. I think we felt we’d done it for a bit now. And part of it, speaking for myself is [due to] the reception of it. To be absolutely honest, it [was] kind of impossible. Sherlock became the animal that it became immediately. Whereas even with [the U.K. version of] The Office, it was a slow burn. But Sherlock was frankly notably high quality from the outset. And when you start [that high] it’s pretty hard to maintain that.
He continued:
Being in that show, it is a mini-Beatles thing. People’s expectations, some of it’s not fun anymore. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of: ‘You better f—ing do this, otherwise, you’re a c—.’ That’s not fun anymore.
Sherlock has been placed on ice ever since its somewhat divisive fourth season, and at least so far, series showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have been understandably coy about the show’s future.
Should Sherlock season 5 ever materialize, it’ll likely take two-to-three years before Cumberbatch’s whip-smart detective waltzes back onto the screen, as the back-to-back release of Avengers: Infinity War and its so-far untitled sequel – not to mention the possible Doctor Strange 2 – will no doubt take precedence. We’ll continue to keep you posted though should any further updates arise.
