After the Dolittle debacle, which saw the movie stake a claim for becoming 2020’s biggest box office bomb despite only being released in the third week of January, with the family fantasy more likely to be remembered for the now-infamous dragon colonoscopy scene more than anything else, Robert Downey Jr. could really use a hit movie to rehabilitate his already-flagging reputation.
There are now many people questioning whether the 54 year-old made the right decision in leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, given that he had grown so accustomed to remaining in his comfort zone as Tony Stark, but luckily for him, RDJ has another multi-billion dollar franchise to fall back on.
Sherlock Holmes 3 is still scheduled to be released next December and while both entries in the franchise earned over $500 million apiece at the box office, the third installment is far from a sure bet at this point given the recent trend of long-delayed sequels continuing to disappoint both critically and commercially.
So far, we know that Downey Jr. and Jude Law will be reprising their roles as Holmes and Watson, with Dexter Fletcher replacing Guy Ritchie behind the camera, but as of yet, no other cast members have been announced. Sources close to We Got This Covered though – the same ones who told us about the live-action remake of Bambi back in the summer and also that Han would return in Fast & Furious 9 – say that Warner Bros. are aiming high when it comes to finding the threequel’s villains and that they have their eye on Michael Fassbender to play fan favorite Holmes nemesis Sebastian Moran. That doesn’t mean he’s a lock for the role, mind you, just that he’s someone the studio is interested in for the part. And it makes sense, too, given that fans have long put his name forth for the role.
As one of the most famous members of the great detective’s rogues’ gallery, Moran was described by Holmes himself as ‘the second most dangerous man in London’ behind only Moriarty, and even did the Professor’s bidding on numerous occasions thanks to his precision aim with a rifle. As an actor that rarely gives a bad performance, getting someone of Fassbender’s caliber to sign up for Sherlock Holmes 3 would be a huge coup for the studio, especially given the question marks surrounding the commercial prospects of a sequel arriving a decade later.
How exactly he’d factor into the plot still remains unclear, but we’re told that Moran won’t be the main villain, as that honor goes to Senator Cornelius Guest. The aforementioned Moriarty will also be involved, meanwhile, but he’ll only have a small role apparently in order to set up a larger part in the next outing.
In any case, the pieces are still coming together for Sherlock Holmes 3, but it’s certainly shaping up to be another exciting big screen outing for the iconic detective and once we learn more, we’ll be sure to let you know.
