After having joined another iconic franchise, Jude Law remains optimistic about his potentialSherlock Holmes 3return. The two-time Oscar nominee was the co-lead of the mystery action franchise adapting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s eponymous detective, starring as his best friend and confidant Dr. John Watson, while Robert Downey Jr. played Holmes. While the first two movies were commercial hits and there were plans for a third one,Sherlock Holmes 3has remained in development hellfor the better part of 13 years.
During a recent interview withThe Playlistto discuss his true story crime thrillerThe Order, Law was asked for an update onSherlock Holmes 3. After initially acknowledging there were once plans for time travel to factor into the threequel,Law confirmed there is a “new iteration” of the script that’s been completed. He did, though, caution that he has not yet read it, and that discussions are still ongoing about the logistics of it, but expresses his hopes to reunite with Downey Jr. as making the first two with the producer/star was a “great experience”. See what Law shared below:
Gosh, yeah, that’s interesting [there were once plans for a time travel storyline]. The plan has been evolving over how many years it’s been now, probably nearly ten years. There’s a great will to make it. And a great will amongst us all to get it right to do it, to find the time, to find the right team. The one great thing I took from both of those films is my friendship with Robert [Downey Jr.] and his wife Susan, they mean an awful lot to me. The hope is we’re still going to do it. I think there’s a new iteration of the script I haven’t yet read. And then there’s a case of “How expensive is it? And can we get it made?” [Laughs] But honestly, also, there’s a friendship, but also the experience of working with Robert, and he really does bring an extraordinarily brilliant, fun, motivated, and inspirational kind of quality to a film set, and I miss it being a part of that. It was a great experience.
What This Means For Sherlock Holmes 3
The Threequel Isn’t Guaranteed Just Yet
Development onSherlock Holmes 3has been a rocky road, to say the least, seeing a variety of writers and directors come and go from the project, including original franchise helmerGuy Ritchie passing the baton toRocketman’s Dexter FletcherandMindhunterJoe Penhall being the last writer attached to the piece. Susan Downey also confirmed toScreen Rantthis past June that, though there was no actual update for the threequel,it is “still very much alive in our hearts”, stating that part of the big reason for the delay is wanting to find the right story for it. See what she shared below:
I mean, look, no, there’s no update, other than it’s still very much alive in our hearts. Every day we talk about, “What is the best next version of that?” Because anytime I see Robert and Jude together, which fortunately, I do get to see a few times a year, we hang out, and I’m just like, “Can I get these guys back on screen together?”, it’s magic. There needs to be a really strong reason, it needs to be a great story, and we do have some things in the works.
Considering Law has not yet read the new script for the threequel,Sherlock Holmes 3isn’t inherently guaranteed to be moving ahead just yet. As the star notes, finances are a big factor in determining whether to move ahead with the next installment, particularly when looking at the prior movies' budgets, with the original costing $90 million and its 2011 sequel $125 million. Given Downey Jr.’s paycheck is typically a big portion of any project’s budget that he’s starring in, landing on a reasonable figure for him alone, along with Law and any other stars, will be a major factor.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes 3: 5 Stories It Could Adapt (& 5 Ways It Can Follow On From A Game Of Shadows)
Robert Downey Jr is back as Sherlock Holmes in the franchise’s third film. It has plenty of great source material in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.
The other issue facing the project, as well, isDowney Jr.’s busy upcoming schedule, particularly his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite having said goodbye to it in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame, it was announced at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con he will be back,this time as Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom, inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars. As such, considering his expected heavy involvement in the latter two films, finding the time for him to come back forSherlock Holmes 3won’t be easy.
Our Take On Sherlock Holmes 3’s Development
It’s Not Too Late For The Movie To Happen
While sequels taking over a decade to develop are rarely a good sign for their eventual release, there’s certainly a number of examples that have broken that curse, some of the more notable beingTop Gun: Maverick,Bad Boys for LifeandBeverly Hills Cop: Axel F. As such,Sherlock Holmes 3shouldn’t be written off just yet, particularly considering Downey Jr. has already largely bounced back fromDolittle’s failure with the back-to-back success of"Sr.“andhis Oscar win fromOppenheimer, he’s certainly deserving of a chance to properly lead another blockbuster franchise.
Sherlock Holmes 3
Cast
While plot details are unknown, Sherlock Holmes 3 will be the third installment in the Sherlock Holmes franchise, starring Roberty Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the titular detective and his sidekick Dr. Watson. Although the first two films were directed by Guy Ritchie, Dexter Fletcher is set to replace Ritchie in the role of director for the third. The film may pick up where the events of the second film left off, finally answering the question of how Holmes survived his fall from the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty, as teased at the end of the previous film.
