Holmes 2 & Transformers 3 in production

Strange how these things come in pairs.

On Monday we reported that Wolverine 2 and the new Star Trek movie were warming their engines for release in 2012. Today, word reaches us that sequels to Sherlock Holmes and Transformers are both slated to begin production in the next five or six months.

With Sherlock Holmes having taken almost $300m (and counting) at the world box office, it’s no surprise that Warner Bros are fast-tracking a sequel. And if their June start date seems a little bit ambitious, don’t forget that Kieran and Michele Mulroney have been writing a script since last September.

The big surprise is Transformers 3 . Though we’ve known for a while that Michael Bay is happy to return to the franchise, the director reportedly wanted more of a break before helming his third machine mash-up.

Still, according to Deadline Hollywood , Shia LaBeouf is ready to go in front of the cameras in May.

So, will T3 follow the threads left dangling in the epilogue of T2 's novelisation? The odd little chapter featured an injured Megatron boarding the ‘Nemesis’ Decepticon spaceship and discovering a slumbering army. The scene didn't appear anywhere in the actual film; could it end up being the opening for T3 ?

And over at Holmes 2 , the question on everybody's lips is: will it feature the much-feted Moriarty? We don't know, but our fingers and toes are duly crossed.

Good news? Bad news? Give us a shout below...