As The state of the rights to Sherlock Holmes has allowed many artists to make significant changes to the detective, his cases, and the rest of the characters, such as adapting them to the modern day.

Of course, others have been loyal to the time setting of Conan Doyle’s stories, among them Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson, Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies were box office hits, with the first one getting positive reviews from critics and the second one getting a mixed reception. Still, talks about a third movie started in 2011, but the project hasn’t seen much development. Jude Law recently revealed there’s a script for Sherlock Holmes 3, so if the movie finally happens soon, it will surely avoid the Moriarty mistake that killed the BBC’s Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes 3 Will Likely Not Tease Moriarty’s Return If It Ever Happens

Moriarty Was Introduced In Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes brought to life some of the most notable characters from Conan Doyle’s books, such as Lestrade and Irene Adler, and it teased Moriarty’s involvement. Near the end of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) reveals to Holmes that her employer is Professor Moriarty, and warns him to not underestimate him. Moriarty was officially introduced in Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, where he served as the main antagonist, with Holmes and Watson doing their best to stop him from creating chaos.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is an original story with elements from “The Final Problem” and "The Adventure of the Empty House."

At the end of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Holmes confronts Moriarty and they fight, but due to Holmes’ injured shoulder, he knows Moriarty has the upper hand. As Moriarty plans to kill Watson and his wife, Mary (Kelly Reilly), Holmes grabs Moriarty and drags him over the balcony. Both Holmes and Moriarty fall to their deaths into the Reichenbach Falls, with Watson as a witness. However, A Game of Shadows has one final surprise at the end, as Holmes is revealed to be alive (and hiding in plain sight at Watson’s home), thus setting up a third movie.

Moriarty’s time in the world of Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies is over, so if Sherlock Holmes 3 finally happens, it will surely move on from Moriarty and explore new stories. There are different stories by Conan Doyle set after the return of Sherlock Holmes following his fake death, so in the style of A Game of Shadows, the third Sherlock Holmes movie will likely be an original story with borrowed elements from one or two stories from the books.

Not Letting Go Of Jim Moriarty Even After His Death Was Sherlock’s Demise

BBC’s Sherlock Clinged To Moriarty For Way Too Long

Moriarty is a great character, and some adaptations have made him even better, as happened in the BBC’s series Sherlock – unfortunately, its great Moriarty was also what destroyed the show. Criminal mastermind Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) was first mentioned in the first episode of Sherlock, but he didn’t make his official debut until season 1’s finale. Moriarty served as the main antagonist throughout Sherlock season 2, even though Holmes and Watson continued attending other cases, and his story came to an end in season 2’s finale.

“The Reichenbach Fall” saw the final confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty on the roof of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. In it, after Holmes discovered Moriarty’s plan, the latter went to extremes to ensure Holmes had no option but to kill himself… so Moriarty killed himself first. Holmes later jumped off the roof as Watson watched at a distance, but the final scene of the episode revealed Holmes was alive. Unfortunately, the rest of Sherlock didn’t let Moriarty go, and he kept returning in flashbacks and hallucinations, and his return was even teased at one point but never paid off.

Sherlock never recovered from Moriarty’s death and that’s because it never let go of him, with subsequent seasons resulting in messy and tangled stories that didn’t make sense. The mistakes of Sherlock with Moriarty are a big example for future adaptations of the Great Detective and company on what not to do with the character and after covering his death.

What Sherlock Holmes 3’s Story Should Be Over A Decade After Game Of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes 3 Has A Couple Of Stories To Get Inspiration From

In the books, Sherlock Holmes was dead for three years, so Sherlock Holmes 3 could either be set three years after the events of A Game of Shadows or make Holmes’ absence a decade-long one – however, the latter brings bigger challenges, such as explaining what he has done during that time, what has happened to Watson, and would have to give them a really big case for them to agree to work together after Holmes faked his death for over ten years.

When it comes to the villain of Sherlock Holmes 3, its best option is Charles Augustus Milverton, who appears in the story “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.” Milverton was known as “the king of blackmailers”, and he caused Holmes more revulsion than any of the murderers he had encountered in his career – so that says it all. Another candidate is Culverton Smith, who tried to kill Holmes in “The Adventure of the Dying Detective”. Sherlock Holmes 3 has great stories and characters to choose from, allowing it to fully move on from Moriarty.