The third Downey and Law Holmes movie has bounced around for more than a decade. The studio dated it for Christmas 2020, then moved it to December 2021. The pandemic and schedule traffic stalled it. A new round of comments from producer Susan Downey confirms the project remains active, with a fresh creative direction under discussion.
Where development stands right now
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Project status: In development. No start date. No current release date.
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Producers: Team Downey’s Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr., with Warner Bros. still the home.
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Recent update: At a Collider hosted Q&A tied to Shane Black’s Play Dirty, Susan Downey said they “came pretty close” to making an earlier version, are glad they paused, and are now circling a new take. She reiterated, “I would love to bring a third Sherlock to the world.”
Cast: who is expected back
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Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson remain the intent when the film goes. This has been consistent since the 2018 dating and through later check-ins. There are no signed public deals or supporting cast announcements.
Director: from Guy Ritchie to Dexter Fletcher
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Guy Ritchie directed the first two films.
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Dexter Fletcher boarded the third film in 2019. He has said the pandemic derailed momentum and that timing remains the challenge, while adding he believes it should still happen. As of 2023 he also said it was “not currently” moving, which matched the post-pandemic stall. No newer director change has been announced.
Script and story
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Writer history: When Warner Bros. first re-dated the threequel in 2018, the studio named Chris Brancato as the screenwriter. The script has gone through multiple iterations since.
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New direction hint: Susan Downey signaled they have a take that shifts the setting toward America, describing it as a different direction they like but have not locked.
Timeline: how we got here
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2018: Warner Bros. announces Dec. 25, 2020 for Sherlock Holmes 3.
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2019: The studio pushes to Dec. 21/22, 2021 and brings on Dexter Fletcher to direct.
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2020–2022: The pandemic stalls the film. Fletcher says the derailment scattered schedules and that the project needs the right alignment to proceed.
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2023–2024: Fletcher describes it as not currently moving, though Team Downey keeps the door open.
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2025: Susan Downey publicly restates that the movie is still alive and teases a refreshed approach. No production start yet.
Spinoff TV projects that were in the mix
In 2022, Variety and Deadline reported two Sherlock Holmes spinoff series in early development at HBO, with Team Downey executive producing. No series order followed, and there have been no official updates since. Consider these dormant until Warner Bros. Discovery says otherwise.
What is not announced
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No filming window
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No confirmed supporting cast
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No final script credits
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No official logline or synopsis
Bottom line
Sherlock Holmes 3 is active at Team Downey and Warner Bros., without a greenlit start date. Susan Downey’s new comments point to a revived take that may shift the setting to America. The Downey and Law pairing remains the goal. Until the studio locks a start, the project sits in development with encouraging noise but no calendar.
