It may have been a decade since he last played the role in A Game of Shadows, but late last year Robert Downey Jr. revealed his intentions to build an entire Sherlock Holmes universe for Warner Bros. through his Team Downey production company that would incorporate various spinoffs for both the big screen, HBO and HBO Max.
Ironically, Netflix’s Enola Holmes could have theoretically been a part of those expansion plans, given that the literary adaptation was developed and filmed as a WB movie before the distribution rights were sold off to the world’s biggest streaming service in April 2020, and after it was released it became one of the platform’s most-watched original titles ever.
Naturally, there’s been talk that a multi-film series is in the works, with director Harry Bradbeer outlining his desire to turn the remaining five books in Nancy Springer’s novel series into features, and star Millie Bobby Brown declaring that sequels have to happen. Insider Daniel Richtman is now reporting that Enola Holmes 2 is indeed in development and will be more like Downey Jr.’s Sherlock blockbusters, in that there’s going to be a heavier emphasis on action.
As of yet, Netflix haven’t officially confirmed the follow-up is happening, although there’ve been plenty of rumors making the rounds nonetheless, but refitting it into an action franchise sounds like a terrible notion. Enola Holmes worked because it was a family-friendly mystery adventure that appealed to audiences of all ages, and while there were a couple of chases and set pieces thrown in, it was far from reliant on its action to drive the story.
If people want spectacle-driven Holmes outings, then revisit RDJ’s duology and wait for the third one, which it looks like he might be in training for, instead of turning the entire appeal of Sherlock’s kid sister’s adventure on its head.
