Sherlock Holmes 3 has a completed script after 13 years of development, but Robert Downey Jr.’s packed schedule remains the final obstacle to production.
Sherlock Holmes 3 has been in development hell for so long that the original film is now old enough to vote, but the script is finally finished.
Sherlock Holmes 3 is the long-awaited threequel to Guy Ritchie’s 2009 and 2011 films starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Writer Chris Brancato, co-creator of the series Westies, confirmed in July 2026 that he has completed a full draft of the screenplay.
The project was first announced in 2018 with a planned 2020 release, then pushed to 2021, before vanishing into the Bermuda Triangle of Hollywood development where promising sequels go to collect dust and development notes. Dexter Fletcher was attached to direct at one point, and multiple writers have taken cracks at the story, but the project never quite found its footing until Brancato delivered his draft.
Sherlock Holmes 3 Needs Downey’s Calendar To Clear
The most interesting detail in Brancato’s update wasn’t that the script exists—it is who actually controls the green light. Robert Downey Jr. told the Associated Press in May 2026 that the decision rests with his wife Susan Downey, who is producing the project. “She’s the producer and will have the last word,” he said, adding with characteristic wit that “it’s the greatest mystery.”
This means the fate of a potential billion-dollar franchise hinges not on studio executives or test audiences, but on a family conversation at the Downey dinner table. It’s like if Iron Man’s next mission required approval from Pepper Potts, except this time it’s real and there are no Infinity Stones to speed up the process.
Jude Law has maintained steady optimism throughout the decade-long wait, stating in late 2024 that “there’s a great will to make it” among the cast and creative team. Director Guy Ritchie, however, has taken a more hands-off approach, declaring that he has “moonwalked out of that until there’s a time for me to get involved” and placing the ball firmly in Downey’s court.
Even Jared Harris, who played Moriarty in the first two films, admitted in 2025 that nobody has contacted him about returning, suggesting the project is still assembling its pieces like a jigsaw puzzle left in the rain.
Sherlock Holmes 3 has everything working in its favor except timing. Downey is currently filming Avengers: Doomsday as Doctor Doom, Law is busy with multiple franchises, and the script has apparently been sitting finished while the industry waits for calendars to align. But with a completed draft in hand and the core duo still willing, the only remaining case to solve is whether Downey’s schedule has room for one more iconic character. Elementary, my dear studio—just check his Outlook calendar.
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