Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t have to work again for the rest of his life. The star has cemented his legacy and financial security with the Marvel juggernauts that he had partook in. However, outside of the Tony Stark character, Downey also brought a classic franchise into a modern retelling with the action comedies of the Sherlock Holmes movies. The films were also brought to life in a fresh way thanks to the stylistic take of director Guy Ritchie. The last film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, was released just over a decade ago. Ever since then a third film has been in an out of development, and if you want an update about when (or if) we can expect a third film, Guy Ritchie says you have you ask Downey.
Collider recently asked Ritchie about Sherlock Holmes 3, and he says it will happen if Robert Downey Jr. wants it to happen.
“Well, honestly, I left this up to Robert [Downey Jr.]. So Robert wanted to be in charge of this. The ball’s in his court, so he’s in charge of the script. He’s in charge of the whole thing. I’ve moonwalked out of that until there’s a time for me to get involved.”
This first Sherlock Holmes film was the biggest box office success of Guy Ritchie at the time of release, with $209 million grossed in North America while it made $524 million worldwide. The second film surpassed the global total with $543 million worldwide, although it grossed only $186 million in North America. A third movie is usually a sweet spot for rounding out a character and story arc, as well as giving fans a good length of movie series that feels epic enough without delving into too many unnecessary sequels. In the meantime, Guy Ritchie has the long-delayed Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre finally hitting theaters this weekend.
Downey had settled into life-after-Marvel with the not-so-well received Dolittle after concluding the story on his Iron Man alter ego. Recently, the actor released a documentary on his father simply titled, Sr. And just recently, a Marvel exec was stated as saying that are no plans to bring Downey back in any capacity to the future MCU. Could that be a ruse?