Info in Movie News | It's been over ten years since Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was released and the fans are still eagerly awaiting the franchised return of Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the most famous detective duo, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Ritchie's two movies from 2009 and 2011 managed to bring back the Victorian detective in a dynamic, action-packed world that was not only witty in terms of dialogue but also had an unbeatable chemistry between the two characters. Yet, despite its popularity, Sherlock Holmes 3 has become one of Hollywood’s longest-running mysteries.
According to ScreenRant, producer Susan Downey, who is also Robert Downey Jr.’s wife, recently confirmed that Sherlock Holmes 3 isn’t dead. During a special Play Dirty screening hosted by Collider, she revealed that the creative team is “still very excited and looking for the best way” to make it happen. She explained that production once came very close, but scheduling issues made it impossible to proceed. Jude Law was unavailable at the time, and later, the pandemic put everything on hold. Susan also teased a surprising new direction, this third installment might take the story across the Atlantic. The team has been considering setting the movie in the United States, far from Holmes’ legendary 221B Baker Street home in London. Susan stated that though the concept is not yet definite, she would still like the idea as it might provide a new narrative view for the well-known duo.
Robert Downey Jr. was equally thrilled and admitted that after the first two movies that went viral all over the world, the third one is eagerly expected. He conveyed the main point, which was doing it the right way, as they all like the characters but want to be sure that the story is really giving them back their qualities. In his words, there is still some fleeting hope for the very long delayed movie that it could become reality when everything, such as the cast, script, and timing, fits perfectly.
However, been skeptical and not said all were as optimistic in the same line are Eddie Marsan, the policeman inspector actor from the last two movies upgraded, and the actor of the movie All the Devils Are Here. Talking about the production, Marsan said: "Every year I hear that they are going to do it, but it never really happens. I'm quite uncertain about the reality of this project, I think it's going to be such or not." His honest comment clearly mirrors what many fans are thinking, i.e., gradually moving towards doubting after so many announcements and a lack of updates. The making of Sherlock Holmes 3 has been a lengthy and complicated journey since 2012, involving script revisions, directors changing at different times, and going through a lot of trouble, but the production schedule remains undecided.
Despite all that, the appeal of Downey’s take on Sherlock Holmes remains undeniable. The singular combination of his offbeat brilliance and Jude Law's incisive and consistent characterisation of Watson, resulted in one of the most endearing Holmes-Watson relationships on-screen in recent times. The two movies were able to bring more than 1 billion dollars to the box office worldwide collectively and gained high ratings from both critics and viewers, thus, leading them to become one of the best detective franchises of the 2010s.
As far as the third part is concerned, the fans would be delighted to know the continuation of the plot that has been discontinued at the end of A Game of Shadows, where it was implied that Holmes had died after his struggle with Professor Moriarty. There is a speculation that a story set in the United States could give a more daring and possibly a new international twist to the traditional detective ambiance.
For now, Susan Downey insists that Sherlock Holmes 3 remains on their radar. She revealed that both she and Robert think about the project “every single day” and that it’s just a matter of finding the right creative spark to move forward. Still, with Downey Jr. now reportedly busy with Avengers: Doomsday and other projects, it might take some time before cameras roll on Baker Street once more.
Until then, fans can revisit Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, both currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S. The wait may be long, and the outcome uncertain, but as every Holmes fan knows, the game is never truly over.
source Screenrant, Collider, The Economic Times, SuperHeroHype