Sherlock Holmes 3 is finally happening.
Nearly seven years after Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows hit theatres, Warner Bros. Pictures says a third installment of the Sherlock Holmes franchise is coming in 2020. The studio said on Monday that Robert Downey Jr will reprise his role as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed detective alongside Jude Law as his counterpart Watson.
Sherlock Homes was a box office hit for the studio when it was released in 2009, just one year after Downey Jr. also made his debut as Iron Man. A sequel quickly followed in 2011. Combined, the first two films grossed net worth of 1 billion dollars. Both were directed by Guy Ritchie.
For 7 years now, there had been no solid news of the third iteration until Robert Downey Jr revealed in an interview to the Entertainment Weekly magazine in March. As he was asked what is next for him, Downey Jr said, “First of all the missus is front and center with Joe Roth producing Doolittle. I’m having a good time, though I decided to give myself, like, 40 additional challenges, like a Welsh accent — which even Welsh people say is hard to do. Then there’s all this stuff down the pike. We’re looking at another Sherlock Holmes, we’re developing Perry Mason for HBO. I still want to do Pinocchio.”
While the first film found Sherlock and John battling it out against Mark Strong’s noble serial killer Lord Henry Blackwood, it was the second film which featured Sherlock’s archvillain Professor James Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary character ever and has seen numerous adaptations over the decades. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star in the BBC series titled simply Sherlock, and it has been a big success.
A director is yet to be announced for Sherlock Holmes 3, however. The film is dated for a Christmas 2020 release.
(With inputs from AP)