What's Going On With Robert Downey's Jr.'s Long-Anticipated Sherlock Holmes 3?

Ever since Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes typed that question mark after the words "The End" in 2011's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," we've all been expecting him to return for another round of sleuthing. In the years following that sequel's half a billion dollar success at the box office, we kept hearing about plans for a follow-up that never actually materialized.

In 2018, Dr. John Watson actor Jude Law revealed that the "Sherlock Holmes 3" plot was supposed to "propel the story forward," and "play up the fact that [Holmes and Watson] haven't seen each other for a long time." That made sense, since the second movie released all the way back in 2011, so there would need to be some acknowledgement of time passing between stories. But since then, even more time has passed, bringing only more delays.

We've known for some time that Guy Ritchie, director of the first two movies, won't be returning for the third film, with "Rocketman" filmmaker Dexter Fletcher confirmed to helm the project back in July 2019. Originally scheduled for a Christmas 2020 release, "Sherlock Holmes 3" was then delayed to December, 2021 shortly after Fletcher joined the project. Then, the pandemic hit and "Sherlock Holmes 3" was confirmed to be very much on the back burner, as a result.

All of which brings us to our current moment, where things are about as confusing as they've ever been. With that in mind, allow us to sum up just what is happening with "Sherlock Holmes 3."

In an April 2023 episode of the UnWrapped podcast, producer and Robert Downey Jr.'s wife, Susan Downey provided an update on "Sherlock Holmes 3." The former co-president of Dark Castle Entertainment and co-founder of production company Team Downey was joined by "Perry Mason" producer Amanda Burrell, and said:

"Prior to this we had lunch together with Robert, the three of us, and it was a very specific topic of conversation. So, yes. ['Sherlock Holmes 3'] is in the hopper. We're going to do it when it's right with the right people. But it is a priority for the company and a priority for Robert."

That certainly sounds positive, even if it doesn't provide any concrete details on when the movie will begin production. Back In 2022, Dexter Fletcher provided a similarly positive yet non committal update when he said he was certain "Sherlock Holmes 3" will be made, confirming that the pandemic did indeed "derail" plans for the threequel. But in an April 2023 episode of the CinemaBlend podcast, Fletcher made clear that the project was "not currently" in development, adding:

"The simple truth was that I worked closely with Robert and Jude, but mainly Robert, for quite a while on it. And we got it to a certain point, and then Covid hit. And that threw everyone to the winds. These things are so delicate that now trying to pull all those threads back together to a meaningful place is proving to be difficult. I'm busy. He's busy. People are busy. It's a big old thing."

While that isn't the most reassuring update, Fletcher did at least confirm he would still "love to do it," and that "the script was brilliant."

Despite there being no concrete plans to start production, it seems there's still a real possibility we'll see "Sherlock Holmes 3" in the near future. Prior to the pandemic, Robert Downey Jr. and Dexter Fletcher put some significant work into developing the project, with the director revealing to CinemaBlend that he and RDJ had worked with writer Joe Penhall of "Mindhunter" and "The Road" fame during "a great 10 days at Robert's place in the Hamptons." Dexter seemed suitably impressed with what the group worked up during that 10-day stretch, where RDJ evidently impressed the filmmaker with "the way his mind works and the back flips that he could do just with that character."

But the issue ever since the pandemic has been rekindling everyone's enthusiasm and waiting for everyone to be available at the right time. That means any concrete details about when we might see the film materialize remain a mystery (the kind that even Holmes and Watson would struggle to solve). But it at least sounds as though the film isn't an entirely cold case.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is all about doubling down on existing IP (hence the "Sherlock Holmes" spin-off series that were teased back in April 2022 and the ill-conceived nostalgia bait that is the Harry Potter TV reboot). Zaslav previously spoke about his studio having "an overwhelming advantage in the marketplace with the IP that [they] own," which, while it may portend a sterile cultural landscape devoid of any original ideas to come, at least bodes well for "Sherlock Holmes 3," considering it's a reliably successful franchise based on existing IP. With Susan Downey confirming the project is still a "priority," the real question with "Sherlock Holmes 3" is not "if" but "when?"