Sherlock Holmes 3 is back on the case with a hopeful update from its screenwriter

Right, let’s talk about the mysterious case of Sherlock Holmes 3 – a film that’s been floating in production limbo longer than Moriarty hangs around crime scenes. If you’re one of the many who’s wondered if we’ll ever get that third instalment with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law trading quips as Holmes and Watson, well, you’re not alone. It’s been nearly a decade and a half since Guy Ritchie’s last outing with the world’s most dysfunctional detective duo.

The lineup so far

If your memory’s hazy, here’s the cast roll call for the first two: Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes, Jude Law as his long-suffering Dr. Watson, Rachel McAdams popping in as Irene Adler (mostly to keep Holmes on his toes), Mark Strong hamming it up as Lord Blackwood, and Jared Harris as a genuinely menacing Professor Moriarty in 'Game of Shadows.' Frankly, not a single one wasted their opportunity to overact in style, which is exactly what you want from these.

What’s happened to Sherlock Holmes 3?

So, the real question: is the third film ever going to show up? The latest comes straight from Chris Brancato, currently credited as the screenwriter on Sherlock Holmes 3. He recently had a chat with The Direct, and here's the cliff-notes from what we learned:

• Brancato says he’s finished a full draft of the script – so the writing, at least for now, isn’t the issue.
• The problem? It’s all down to Robert Downey Jr. and his 'very, very busy schedule.' Let’s be honest, nobody’s making Sherlock Holmes in this style without him. No shade to the rest of Hollywood, but he is the series.
• Michael Panes (co-creator) backs this up, saying Brancato’s script is 'very good' – take that as your annual reminder the screenplay isn’t the holdup any more.

When pressed about whether the film’s actually going to happen, Brancato kept it realistic:

'Well, I don’t know, that’s up to the movie gods. Also, Robert’s schedule. Robert has a very, very busy schedule, so I’m hopeful that it will get made. But you know, we have to wait and see how things shake out. You just never know with movies.'

This script’s had more rewrites than Holmes had disguises

If you’re wondering why this thing’s been stuck in development hell, here’s a bit of the backstory – it’s almost as convoluted as one of Conan Doyle’s original yarns. The first crack at a script was by Drew Pearce (the bloke behind Iron Man 3), who tried to make sense of Holmes‘ fake death after Reichenbach Falls. That went nowhere. Five years on, James Coyne was brought in for a fresh take. Again, didn’t stick.

After that, there was an attempt to brute-force a script from a five-person writers’ room (Nicole Perlman, Gary Whitta, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Kieran Fitzgerald, and Justin Malen all had a go). It’s ambitious – or desperate – depending how you look at it. Still no film. Now it’s Brancato’s turn, and apparently his take is the best so far, but studio suits are still waiting for Downey Jr. to clear his diary.

The whodunit craze is back…just not with Holmes (yet)

If there’s ever been a moment for a slick, big-budget Holmes adventure, it’s now. The appetite for whodunits is massive – look at the success of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series. You’d reckon a Downey-Law reunion would be a no-brainer, but Hollywood logic is rarely sensible. As of this moment, the world’s sharpest detective is stuck in limbo, hostage to actor schedules and endless rounds of script rewrites.