Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie is leaving any decision regarding a potential third film up to star Robert Downey Jr.
In an interview with Collider, Ritchie said he left it up to Downey to decide the future of a third installment in his Sherlock Holmes franchise. "So Robert wanted to be in charge of this," Ritchie said. "The ball's in his court, so he's in charge of the script, he's in charge of the whole thing. I've moonwalked out of that until there's a time for me to get involved." Sherlock Holmes 3 has received various development updates since 2016 but no confirmation.
Released in 2009, Sherlock Holmes is set in late 1800s London and stars Downey as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's eponymous detective. In the movie, Sherlock, with the help of Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), must uncover the secrets behind a mystic's aim to control Britain using supernatural methods. In addition to Downey and Law, Sherlock Holmes features The Imitation Game's Mark Strong as Lord Henry Blackwood and Mean Girls actor Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. The 2009 movie received an overall positive reception and two Academy Award nominations.
Downey and Law's One Reprisal of Sherlock and Watson
The last time viewers saw Downey's version of the iconic sleuth was in the 2011 sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The story sees the detective duo of Sherlock and Watson travel across Europe to follow the mysteries left behind by their arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty. Several actors returned to reprise their roles, but Game of Shadows also introduced Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes and Noomi Rapace as Madame Simza Heron.
Originally, Sherlock Holmes 3 was given a 2020 release date, but hit several delays over the course of its production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Bohemian Rhapsody's Dexter Fletcher replaced Ritchie as the third installment's director. In the decade since Game of Shadows, fans have heard only unproven leaks about the threequel's uncertain future. Previously, casting descriptions surfaced, including one for a new character named Sidney Bloom going undercover as a reporter in San Francisco.
Additionally, the leak introduced a villain by the name of Senator Cornelius Guest, an American politician who hopes to steal the United States' gold supply with the help of his Bowie knife. There was also a 2020 report which suggested that Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson would reprise his role as Sebastian Moran in Sherlock Holmes 3. Anderson previously played the character in 2011's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Source: Collider