Robert Downey Jr. is set to reprise his role as the Great Detective in the near future, after a break of nine years and counting, in Sherlock Holmes 3, and it’s possible he’ll be teaming up with Johnny Depp while doing it.
It’s been reported that Downey Jr. has brought his old friend Depp on board the Warner Bros. project in an undisclosed role. The National Enquirer claims to have heard from a source close to the production that RDJ, feeling sorry for the Pirates of the Caribbean star given the very public tough time he’s having right now, has offered Depp a part in the next Sherlock Holmes film. As The Enquirer’s source colorfully puts it, “Johnny and Robert have have a very special 30-year relationship that dates back to both of their days as eccentric Hollywood hell-raisers.”
The publication goes on to say that Downey Jr. relates to what Depp is going through – what with his reputation having been severely impacted of late due to the allegations of domestic abuse made against him by ex-wife Amber Heard – after the Iron Man actor infamously had his own public image bruised during his low point in the late 90s. “Robert thinks Johnny deserves the same chance to redeem himself that he had,” The Enquirer’s source adds.
Of course, it’s best to take this tabloid rumor with a huge heap of salt, but who knows, maybe there’s something to it? The Enquirer doesn’t specify anything about the role in SH3, but presumably it would be a pretty significant one. Maybe it’s the villain of the piece, so that Downey Jr. and Depp can have fun facing off on screen. It’s mind-blowing that the pair have never been in a movie together to date, but could this be where it finally happens? Time will tell.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher, Sherlock Holmes 3 was last scheduled for release on December 22nd, 2021, but that’s unlikely to happen anymore. With any luck, though, we’ll see it in 2022.
