SHERLOCK HOLMES Franchise Director Guy Ritchie Says Part 3 All Depends on Robert Downey Jr.

The first two films in Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes franchise were a blast to watch! I enjoyed what director Guy Ritchie brought to the films, and while there’s been talk of a third movie over the years, for some crazy reason that movie hasn’t been made yet!

The last we heard, Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher was attached to direct it. This was before the pandemic, and in a previous interview, the filmmaker said, "The pandemic derailed it,” but he said he thinks it will get made. He said: “I think it has to be made. I don't know what the timeline of that is, unfortunately, but I believe it should be. It's fantastic.”

There was also a Sherlock Holmes spinoff series in the works at HBO Max which would have seen Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock and Dr. John Watson, but there’s been no update on that.

Director Guy Ritchie was recently asked about what was going on with Sherlock Holmes during an interview with Collider, and the director said it's ultimately up to Downey Jr. He explained:

"Well, honestly, I left this up to Robert [Downey Jr.]. So Robert wanted to be in charge of this. 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.”

So, right now all of these Sherlock projects hinge on what Downey Jr. wants to do. I would love to see him back in the role! When talking about the franchise, the actor said:

"At this point, we really feel that there is not a mystery-verse built out anywhere, and Conan Doyle is the definitive voice in that arena, I think, to this day. So to me, why do a third movie if you're not going to be able to spin off into some real gems of diversity and other times and elements?"

For now, it doesn't sound like Sherlock Holmes 3 is going to happen anytime soon. That’s a shame.