Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, was released in 2009. A sequel followed two years later with 2011's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but the franchise has remained on the shelf ever since. Downey was obviously busy with his MCU commitments, but if he could spare the time to make a movie like Dolittle, why not Sherlock Holmes 3?
Recently, the project has started taking shape, with Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) stepping in to replace Guy Ritchie (next up for him is Disney's live-action Hercules). That was a positive update, as was the news that at least two TV shows set in this "Sherlock Holmes Universe" are now being developed by HBO Max.
According to One Take News, multiple sources have told them that the plan now is for shooting on Sherlock Holmes 3 to begin in Atlanta, Georgia by the end of this year.
The threequel's production start date has been pushed back multiple times in recent years, but it finally feels like the movie is gaining steam. As a result, we'd bet on seeing the follow-up in theaters by late 2023 at the very soonest or, most likely, 2024.
With that in mind, we could start getting casting news soon and potentially even some insights into which characters those TV shows are going to focus on. After all, it would make sense to introduce them in this threequel as it's not believed that either one of the spinoffs will focus on Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Watson.
Sherlock Holmes earned $524 million at the worldwide box office, while the sequel ended up making $543 million. It was a successful franchise, but whether the interest is still going to be there after all these years obviously remains to be seen.
Sherlock Holmes 3 doesn't currently have a release date, but keep checking back here for updates.