Long before he landed a plum gig in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Benedict Cumberbatch was solving riddles and cracking cases as Sherlock Holmes, the legendary detective based on the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.
It’s a series that has spanned four seasons – so far, at least – though fans are still holding out hope that Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman will return for a fifth season of Sherlock. Truth be told, there’s been much back-and-forth (and some heated controversy) about the show’s future, but during a recent interview with Deadline, Benedict Cumberbatch admitted that he’s currently finding more enjoyment in projects beyond 221b Baker Street.
Oh, Strange? Just try to stop me. That’s all kind of lined up as far as I’m aware, but who knows? I mean, you know, the problem is, how does he get out of where he’s at. But that’s the only thing. I’m bits of dust at the moment as far as I understand. So you really have to ask [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige. But as far as wanting to do it, yeah, I would love to go back into that role. As far as wanting to do Sherlock, I am having a great time at the moment doing other things, but we never say never.
Next up for Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme is a role in Avengers 4 – you know, assuming Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are successful in their quest to undo Thanos’ genocide – while Benedict Cumberbatch is also keeping busy with Showtime’s five-part drama Patrick Melrose, in which he plays a character riddled by grief and addiction.
And Sherlock? It’s still very much on ice over at the BBC, but it seems there’s still a sliver of hope that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman will push full steam ahead on a fifth season. As the former actor so rightly points out, never say never.
