Fans have been waiting nine years and counting for another Sherlock Holmes movie featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and we were set to get one next year. Sherlock Holmes 3 has been, and remains, attached to a release date of December 22nd, 2021, but we all knew it was unlikely to make that given that there’s been no word that production is starting anytime soon. And now, it’s been confirmed that the threequel is on indefinite hiatus.
Guy Ritchie, who helmed both 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows, elected to sit this one out, so Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) has been on board to take the reins since last summer. While speaking on the Celebrity Catch Up Podcast, the filmmaker was asked where things are currently at with SH3 and he briefly explained that it’s “sitting on the back burner at the moment until it becomes clear where the world is at.”
So, it looks like SH3 is one of the countless upcoming movies that’s in stasis as studios try to figure out how best to proceed with things in the midst of the pandemic. Certain projects that require a lot of VFX or can be shot mostly indoors have been able to move forward, but a Sherlock Holmes flick tends to be heavy on the location filming, with many practical elements – the period costuming, set design, stunt work – making it an extra logistical challenge.
Still, once the industry has got into the swing of things again, it seems like SH3 is a priority at WB. Downey Jr. certainly appears to have big plans for it. RDJ recently revealed that his intention is for the threequel to launch various spinoffs, including some TV series for HBO Max, resulting in an MCU-like shared universe that he’s calling a “Mystery-verse.” Maybe this delay could give them more time to bolster the worldbuilding aspect of the film?
Time will tell, but with any luck, things will get moving on Sherlock Holmes 3 again in the near future.
