Dexter Fletcher reveals Sherlock Holmes 3 is “on the back burner”

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The director shares an update on the movie hold-up

Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes
(Image credit: IMDb)

Director Dexter Fletcher has shared an update on the upcoming third instalment of the Sherlock Holmes franchise.

"Sherlock's hit its own issues on and off. That's sort of sitting on the back burner at the moment until it becomes clear where the world is at and what's going to happen," Fletcher said on the Celebrity Catch Up podcast.

The movie hasn’t started its principal photography yet, and the Rocketman director explained that he and the studio are waiting to see what happens in Hollywood in light of the pandemic before they start working on it in earnest.

With so many movies facing delays, it seems a sensible decision – both The Batman and Jurassic Park: Dominion recently had to pause production after production members tested positive for Covid-19. And, of course, there’s the seemingly never-ending stream of release date delays.

The update comes after Robert Downey Jr., who plays the titular super sleuth in the franchise, shared his thoughts about the potential for a Sherlock Cinematic Universe. 

“At this point, we really feel that there is not a mystery-verse built out anywhere, and Conan Doyle is the definitive voice in that arena, I think, to this day,” he said at Fast Company's Innovation Festival. “So to me, why do a third movie if you’re not going to be able to spin off into some real gems of diversity and other times and elements?”

Sherlock Holmes 3 is currently set for release on December 22 2021. In the meantime, check out the best Netflix movies to watch right now.

Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.