Pay attention, fans of Robert Downey Jr. and Sherlock Holmes, as you’ve only got a few days left to watch one of the best movies in the actor’s filmography and one of the best featuring the Great Detective. Netflix is removing 2009’s Sherlock Holmes from its library in the US on May 1st. So, if you’re subscribed to the platform and are in the mood to rewatch the thrilling Guy Ritchie flick, make sure to do so before this weekend.
Arriving just one year ahead of the BBC’s Sherlock similarly reinventing the super sleuth for a new generation, the 2009 film transformed Holmes from a gentlemen genius into an eccentric action hero, with Downey Jr.’s version notably using his deductive skills to make himself invincible in a fight. He’s joined by Jude Law as best friend Dr. John Watson, with Rachel McAdams playing Irene Adler, the Catwoman to Holmes’ Batman.
The movie’s mystery was original to the screen, as it sees Holmes and Watson investigating the apparent resurrection of the sinister Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who appears to have come back from the dead after being hanged, which leads them to uncover Blackwood’s plot to seize control of the country. Eddie Marsan also co-stars as Inspector Lestrade and Kelly Reilly is Watson’s fiancée, Mary Morstan.
A sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, followed a couple of years later in 2011. Due to Robert Downey Jr.‘s Marvel commitments across the last decade, though, a third entry in the series has yet to materialize. The good news is that Sherlock Holmes 3 is in the works, with Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) filling in for Ritchie, but it’s currently unclear when work will properly begin on that.
Warner Bros. isn’t going to let the franchise die, however, as RDJ has revealed that he’s working with them to expand what he’s calling the MysteryVerse. But while we wait for more, why not catch Sherlock Holmes again before it exits Netflix on May 1st?
