The mystery and intrigue surrounding the as-yet-unconfirmed fifth season of Sherlock is becoming so complex – so frustratingly complex – that even Benedict Cumberbatch’s legendary sleuth would struggle to crack the case.
Not too long ago, Sherlock co-star Andrew Scott hinted that the as-yet-unconfirmed season 5 was around two years away due to complications with scheduling, though co-creator Mark Gatiss believes Scott was a little conservative in his estimations. Speaking to Radio Times, the series showrunner, who also plays the part of Sherlock’s elder brother Mycroft, stated in no uncertain terms that the show’s latest instalment won’t premiere until 2020 – if it premieres at all. The game may still be afoot, but you’d be best settling in for the long haul.
That’s something which co-creator Steven Moffat echoed at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, telling Deadline that he honestly doesn’t know what the future holds for the beloved series.
At this point we honestly don’t know [if we’ll do more]. I sort of vaguely assumed that we do it again at some point. I haven’t had time to think about Sherlock, and Mark’s been hugely hard at work of course a range of projects including Doctor Who. So we haven’t had time to sit down and work out what we do with a series five.
Deadline then pushed the writer/director for any further information, but he continued to play coy, saying that he “vaguely assumes” they’ll do more at some point.
We all love doing it very much. No one’s against it. No one’s doing it because they have to, you know. Everyone can survive perfectly well without it, and that’s been the case for a long while. So the only reason we do the show is because we love doing it. That, of course, has the downside that if we ever think we’re just turning up and doing it for the sake of it, we don’t want to do that, but you know, I mean, I sort of vaguely assume that at some point in the future, whenever that is, we’ll do some more Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock season 5 is by no means a sure thing, but at the very least, fans can take solace in the fact that Steven Moffat and the creative team remain invested in the series’ future. The modern-day reinvention has always moved along at a glacial pace, but what are your thoughts on a potential premiere in 2020? Let us know in the usual place!