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Sherlock Holmes 3 Director Explains Why The Robert Downey Jr. Sequel Hasn’t Happened Yet Despite A ‘Brilliant’ Script

Robert Downey Jr.
Dexter Fletcher

Sean O’Connell

April 19, 2023·4 min read

In this article:

Robert Downey Jr.American actor (born 1965)
Dexter FletcherEnglish actor and director

No matter how many movies he makes for the remainder of his career, Robert Downey Jr. forever will be associated with Tony Stark, aka Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Any fan who tries to watch the Marvel movies in order has to start with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, which introduced the irresponsible playboy who discovers his courageous side after catching a shard of shrapnel in the chest. But outside of the MCU, Downey also had a famous and successful run as legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes in two Guy Ritchie pictures, and I’m positively shocked Warner Bros. hasn’t moved mountains to keep that franchise rolling. Ritchie explained why he chose not to return for Sherlock Holmes 3, which left the door open for Rocketman helmer Dexter Fletcher. Only, Fletcher has an update on the sequel, and it’s far from positive.

Sherlock Holmes 3

Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Sherlock and Watson in Sherlock Holmes

We put together this list of things to know about the in-development Sherlock Holmes 3, should it ever happen!

Rocketman is another movie that deserves far more love than it receives. Taron Egerton, who soared as Elton John in the movie, begged people to see it in theaters. But it didn’t do nearly as well as Bohemian Rhapsody, leaving Fletcher to search for his next high-profile gig. He currently has the original film Ghosted, available to folks with an AppleTV+ subscription. And while promoting that Chris Evans and Ana De Armas romantic-comedy, Fletcher caught ReelBlend up on the status of Sherlock Holmes 3, which he once was attached to direct. When we inquired if the anticipated sequel still was in development, Fletcher told the CinemaBlend podcast:

Not currently, no. The simple truth was that I worked closely with Robert and Jude, but mainly Robert, for quite a while on it. And we got it to a certain point, and then Covid hit. And that threw everyone to the winds. These things are so delicate that now trying to pull all those threads back together to a meaningful place is proving to be difficult. I’m busy. He’s busy. People are busy. It’s a big old thing. And I haven’t spoken to him for a while, so I don’t know where his appetite for it is. I’m sure it’s there, but how it fits in his plan… because plans have changed. I can’t answer to that. If it came back, I would love to do it. I’d love to see it. Because the script was brilliant. And (Robert)’s a genius, to my mind.

I’ll say again, I have no clue why WB isn’t sending dump trucks full of money to Robert Downey Jr.’s home and begging him to reprise the role of Sherlock Holmes. Studios thrive on franchises, and with the Fantastic Beasts films stalling out and DC in a rebuild stage, WB could use as many hits as possible. The first Sherlock Holmes earned just shy of $500 million in global tickets sold in 2009, and the 2011 sequel surpassed that number (according to The Numbers). You’d assume that if RDJ were ready, the green light would be lit.

Digging more into their process, Dexter Fletcher explained:

We ended up working with a fantastic writer called Joe Penhall, who did a fantastic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. … We had a great 10 days at Robert’s place in the Hamptons with him just, you know, Sherlock Holmesing for 10 days continuously. It was like being in a little slice of heaven. It was so brilliant. And to see Robert and the way his mind works and the back flips that he could do just with that character was, like, wow. So yeah, my hope is very much that one day somewhere that will – if not with me even, but with somewhere that Robert makes that film.

For now, the movie remains on ice. Downey is the type of actor who almost has multiple upcoming movies in his pipeline, and it sounds like a script for Sherlock Holmes 3 is close to ready, should he choose to go down that path. In the meantime, Fletcher’s latest movie Ghosted can be streamed on AppleTV+ beginning on April 21. Scan our list of details we know about the film while you wait for it to arrive.