Although the death of Tony Stark was Sherlock Holmes franchise.
Downey’s last movie in the role of the iconic Victorian detective was released before the Avengers assembled at the end of the MCU’s Phase 1, after which Downey found himself pretty busy, so the threequel has been a long time coming. With a director hired and a release date set, here's what we know so far about Sherlock Holmes 3.
Updated on May 25th, 2020 by Ben Sherlock: Now that his commitments to Marvel have come to an end and his recent reboot of the Dr. Dolittle franchise crashed and burned pretty horribly, Robert Downey, Jr. is free to return to the role of Sherlock Holmes. With Iron Man dead, all of Downey’s eggs are in the Sherlock Holmes basket. On the way to the threequel’s 2021 release date, Warner Bros. has released a few extra details about the movie, so we’ve updated this list with some new information.
There’s No Trailer
As of yet, we don’t have a teaser trailer or regular theatrical trailer for Sherlock Holmes 3. It’s not like Warner Bros. is holding out on us. Production hasn’t yet begun, so there’s no footage to make a trailer from. Marketing for the threequel is still a few months away, but we’ll get a trailer in due time.
It’ll Be (At Least Partly) Shot In California
The production of Sherlock Holmes 3 has been approved for a $20.9 million tax break by the California Film Commission. This is with an estimated production budget of $107.8 million, which is right in the sweet spot between the first movie’s $90 million price-tag and A Game of Shadows’ $125 million price-tag.
So, at least part of the filming for Sherlock Holmes 3 will take place in California, possibly confirming rumors that the movie is a western (or, at least, that it will have elements of a western).
The Team Is Working From Chris Brancato’s Script
A bunch of different writers have worked on the script for Sherlock Holmes 3. A couple of years ago, the producers even put together a writers’ room in the hopes that a whole team of scribes would be able to hammer out a draft that they were happy with.
As far as we know, Warner Bros. and the team are working from a draft that was written by Chris Brancato. Brancato’s previous writing credits include episodes of The X-Files, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Narcos, so he’s used to slotting events into ongoing storylines.
Peaky Blinders Star Paul Anderson Has ed The Cast
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law will be ed on the silver screen by Paul Anderson, who has been cast in Sherlock Holmes 3. Anderson is best known for playing Arthur Shelby, the hard-as-nails oldest sibling in the Shelby clan, in the acclaimed historical crime series Peaky Blinders.
The actor will be reprising his role as Moriarty cohort Colonel Sebastian Moran, who he first played in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Moriarty Will Probably Return
The casting of Paul Anderson to reprise his role as Colonel Sebastian Moran, who was a close associate of Holmes’ arch nemesis James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, hints that Moriarty himself will return in the threequel.
Moriarty is like Holmes’ Loki, or the Joker, or Darth Vader. He can’t be done with after just one movie; his rivalry with Holmes needs time to develop across multiple movies.
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law will reprise their roles as Holmes and Watson
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law have been signed on to reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in the threequel, which is a relief. Imagine if one or both of them weren’t coming back – it just wouldn’t be the same.
The two have been in again recently, since Law got in touch with Downey to get advice on taking a role in the MCU when he was cast to play Yon-Rogg in this year’s Captain Marvel, so it’s clear that their chemistry isn’t just confined to the movies and there’s a real friendship there.
Guy Ritchie isn’t returning to direct
Despite the fact that he directed both of the original Sherlock Holmes movies, setting the visual style and characterizing Downey’s version of the title role, aren’t going forward for obvious reasons, so it seems unlikely that scheduling issues are to blame.
When Ritchie was asked about his involvement in the third movie, he didn’t have much to say: “You probably know as much as me. I have no idea what’s going on there.” So, his absence from the director’s chair is a mystery.
Dexter Fletcher is directing
This year, he directed Rocketman, the glitzy musical based on the life of Elton John. Sherlock Holmes 3 will mark a huge departure for the director. Funnily enough, while Guy Ritchie isn’t directing Sherlock Holmes 3, his replacement Fletcher did have an acting role in Ritchie’s film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
It’ll be released on December 22, 2021
Warner Bros. have set the release date for Sherlock Holmes 3 for December 22, 2021. The previous two Sherlock Holmes movies were released in December around the holiday season and they both grossed over $500 million, so as the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In December 2021, the threequel will face stiff competition from Avatar 2 (if it actually makes it to that release slot, since it’s been delayed a million times before – it was supposed to be released in 2015!), Hotel Transylvania 4, and the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. Still, with Robert Downey, Jr. starring, it shouldn’t have too much trouble standing out in the crowd.
Susan Downey is aware that fans will only wait so long
When Sherlock Holmes 3 arrives in 2021, it’ll be a full decade since we last saw Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson on the big screen.
Producer Susan Downey (wife of Robert Downey, Jr. and co-founder of the couple’s production company Team Downey) is aware that fans have had to wait a long time and the team has been committed to getting the movie to them as soon as possible, but not without a great script: “At a certain point, it’s going to be too long – we’ve waited too long. We’re working as fast and responsibly as we can to get a great script.”
