Dexter Fletcher Is Certain Sherlock Holmes 3 Will Be Made

Robert Downey Jr.'s output post "Avengers: Endgame" has been on the light side. In his defense, he did make a bazillion movies in the 10 years leading up to that MCU capper and a little pandemic shut the world down for almost two years in that time period, but still. For a star as big as Downey, it's a shame we haven't seen more of him, especially in roles that audiences have already established they love. 

I'm talking specifically about one Mr. Sherlock Holmes. The first Guy Ritchie "Sherlock Holmes" film raked in over half a billion at the box office in 2009, as did its 2011 sequel, solidifying Downey's stardom outside of Tony Stark. The third Sherlock film has been in the works for a while but when Covid hit, things went very quiet on that front. 

We knew Guy Ritchie stepped away as director and that Dexter Fletcher ("Rocketman" and the woefully underseen "Eddie the Eagle") had been placed in charge of this third film and that both Jude Law and Downey were expected to return. 

Mr. Fletcher was one of the directors of "The Offer," the show about the making of "The Godfather," and ended up on the interview circuit, which is why we have a little bit of word on "Sherlock Holmes" Part 3!

Speaking with Collider's Christina Radish, Fletcher was pretty confident that the third "Sherlock Holmes" movie was going to happen, basically saying that Downey is too big of a star and the demand was too high for the studio to let the franchise fizzle out.

The pandemic derailed it. I do think it will get made. I think it has to be made. I don't know what the timeline of that is, unfortunately, but I believe it should be. It's fantastic. I think it's about all the right people being at the right place, at the right time. I think it's that. It's one of those cruel twists of fate, where the pandemic hit and that scattered people around the world to the wind. But I know that the appetite is huge for it, and I'm sure there are other people acutely aware of that as well. But I believe it should be because it's brilliant. I very much hope so.

It makes sense that the pandemic screwed everything up for Sherlock. Even the most sly detective was thrown for a loop by lockdown, apparently, and it also tracks that this would be a priority for Warner Bros. It does appear that Fletcher is using some vague and cautious language here, though, so keep expectations in check if you're really champing at the bit for another Downey Sherlock adventure. The world is getting back up to speed and people's schedules are filling up again. 

Still, if I were a betting man I'd say this one is more likely to happen than not. The actors and filmmakers seem to enjoy making these movies and the audience is clearly there for fun, escapist stuff, especially with familiar faces and characters.