There was much to love about the year 2009. The iPhone was beginning to gain traction, Lady Gaga dropped The Fame studio album and Guy Ritchie’s first Sherlock Holmes film was released. The film was a storming success, which was followed up by an equally successful sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, in 2011. With two successful projects in the bag, it was not surprising that conversations began regarding a third installment. Work reportedly began in 2011 on another sequel, but fans didn’t get a prospective release date till 2018, with a debut planned for Christmas Day in 2020. That ultimately, did not materialize and plans seem to have stalled on the project. Now, one of the project’s key characters, is casting doubt on his return and, by extension, a third installment. Jared Harris portrays Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes film franchise, and while promoting the new season of Foundation, the actor’s involvement with the franchise prompted questions. Speaking with The Direct, the actor revealed that nobody has contacted him about the project despite the film being said to be actively in development. Harris’ disappointing comments read:
“Yeah. I mean, I keep taking that down [on IMDb] and someone keeps putting it back up. I have no idea. No one’s talking to me about it. And I really wish people would stop asking me … It should be on there. I mean, no one’s talking to me about it. I have no clue.”

It’s Taking A Lengthy While — But ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’ Is Coming Closer

Image via Warner Bros.

Having earned $543.8 million worldwide with 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the decision to pursue a third installment was absolutely the right one. However, Sherlock Holmes 3 has been stuck in development hell now for well over a decade, which has audiences worried about its viability and rightly so. Speaking in June 2024, producer Susan Downey did confirm that the project was still very much alive with the need for a great story the only real obstacle. “Every day we talk about ‘What is the best next version of that?’ Anytime I see Robert and Jude [Law] together, which fortunately, I do get to see a few times a year, we hang out, and I’m just like, ‘Can I get these guys back on screen together?’ It’s magic. There needs to be a really strong reason, it needs to be a great story, and we do have some things in the works,” she said at the time. The first and second Sherlock Holmes movies were directed by Guy Ritchie. However, ahead of the third installment, Dexter Fletcher is expected to take the directorial reins from Ritchie. The franchise’s cast seem interested in a return, with Jude Law, who plays Watson to Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes, sharing that there was a Sherlock Holmes 3 script, though he hadn’t read it. Sherlock Holmes 3 isn’t right around the corner as there is no release date set for now. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.

Sherlock Holmes

Release Date

December 25, 2009

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Guy Ritchie

Writers

Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, Michael Robert Johnson

Sequel(s)

Sherlock Holmes 3, Sherlock Holmes 2

Source: The Direct