Insanely busy schedules be damned, it looks as thoughSherlock Holmes 3may actually, finally be happening this year. A follow-up toGuy Ritchie’s 2011 sequelSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadowshas been in the works ever since that film grossed $545 million worldwide, but not only is matching up the schedules ofRobert Downey Jr.,Jude Law, and Ritchie incredibly tricky, but all involved wanted to ensure they had a story worth telling for the follow-up.Iron Man 3co-writerDrew Pearcewas put on the case in 2011, but then everything went quiet. Until last month, that is.
During the press tour forCaptain America: Civil War, Downey Jr. revealed that he’s been talking with Ritchie and thatSherlock Holmes 3could start filming this year. This came as a surprise given that Downey Jr. has averybusy schedule ahead of him by way of the twoAvengers: Infinity Warfilmsthat will be shooting back to back, but when Collider’s own Christina Radish caught up with producerJoel Silverat the press day forShane Black’s delightful 70s detective storyThe Nice Guys(opening this Friday—see it!), he confirmed that cameras could indeed be rolling onSherlock Holmes 3by the end of the year:
“It looks like it could happen this fall. Downey said he wants to do it. He’s gotta launch into anotherAvengersmovie, right after the New Year, so we’re trying to get it done. We have a script that we like. Jude [Law] is available and Downey is available, and we’re hoping we can get it done. If it works, great. If not, we’ll do it another time. But, it looks like it could happen now.”
Production onAvengers: Infinity Waris slated to begin in November withCivil WardirectorsJoeandAnthony Russoback in the director’s chair, but it sounds like Downey Jr. isn’t due on set until early 2017, leaving a bit of a hole in his schedule to squeeze in this nextSherlockfilm. But given how long it’s taken forSherlock 3to get off the ground, would this be a trilogy-ending installment? According to Silver, not in the slightest:
“I hope [it’s not the last one]. I don’t think so. How many Bond films have they made? As long as there’s a character, we can work with it. It’s not an end story. We can keep going, as long as people want to do it. It’s [the actor’s] call. They have to say, ‘Okay, I’m ready to go.’ I read about them making anotherBad Boys. If they want to do it, then you try to get it done.”
Just after Downey broke the news ofSherlock Holmes 3possibly filming this year, word surfaced that Warner Bros. had set screenwriterJames Coyneto perform a rewriteof Pearce’s script, but it sounds like the stars are certainly beginning to align to get this thing rolling. Ritchie is currently in post-production onKnights of the Roundtable: King Arthurfor WB and hasn’t set his next directorial effort yet, so brace yourselvesSherlockfans: the sequel could be in theaters in just a couple of years.
