Watson actor Jude Law offered an update to fans on the Robert Downey Jr.-led Sherlock Holmes 3.
Law and Downey starred in two previous films centered on the iconic literary detective in 2009 and 2011. However, after that second movie, the franchise went quiet, with many wondering if the long-rumored third film would ever see the light of day.
In the years since, word has continued to trickle out about the third film, with no official confirmation it was coming. In 2022, it was reported that Downey was set to executive produce a pair of Sherlock Holmes TV series for Max (outside of his movie franchise), and Sherlock Holmes 3 is still reportedly in development.
Will There Be a Sherlock Holmes 3?
After years of speculation, star Jude Law commented on the current status of Sherlock Holmes 3.
Law, who played Dr. John Watson in the duology of late 2000s Holmes films, told The Playlist, "The plan has been evolving" after reports of the third movie featuring time travel, but maintained, "There’s a great will to make it:"
"Gosh, yeah, that’s interesting. The plan has been evolving over how many years it’s been now, probably nearly ten years. There’s a great will to make it."
He continued, adding that the friendship he developed with his co-star Robert Downey Jr. has been a driving factor in trying to get this third Holmes movie made.
Law called working with Downey "an extraordinarily brilliant, fun, motivated, and inspirational" experience and said he "[misses] being a part of that:"
"Exactly, but honestly, also, there’s a friendship, but also the experience of working with Robert, and he really does bring an extraordinarily brilliant, fun, motivated, and inspirational kind of quality to a film set, and I miss it being a part of that. It was a great experience."
This is the first major update on the film fans have gotten in quite some time.
While not a substantive confirmation that the movie is ready to get in front of cameras any time soon, it does hint that work on the film is actively happening. This should be encouraging for fans who have been waiting over a decade for the franchise to come back to the big screen.
When Is Sherlock Holmes 3 Coming Out?
No official release date for Sherlock Holmes 3 has yet been listed, but that is not to say one is not coming.
The last fans heard about the movie, it was reportedly eyeing a production start date at the end of 2022. That, obviously, did not come to pass, and no new production window has yet been made public.
With work on the script actively happening at the time of these quotes from Jude Law, then one can hope a filming date and release announcement is coming.
If the writing process is successful and a script can be locked in the next couple of months, then it does not feel like an impossibility that the movie ends up getting in front of cameras before the end of 2025.
One thing the movie now has to contend with, though, is the busy schedule of its star, Robert Downey Jr. The Oscar-winning actor was recently announced to be playing the villain, Doctor Doom, in Marvel Studios' upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars.
Reports indicate filming on those movies will get started in early 2025, meaning that by the end of the year (or in early 2026), there may be room for Downey to start work on Sherlock Holmes 3.
If that is the case, then a Sherlock Holmes 3 release sometime in the second half of 2027 makes the most sense.
Of course, all that hinges on the writing process for the movie going well, which, at least according to Law, the creative team behind the franchise seems driven to make happen.
The first Sherlock Holmes movie is streaming on Max, and both films are available for purchase online.
