Robert Downey Jr’s Best Non-MCU Movie Turns 16 — So Where’s Sherlock Holmes 3?

Guy Ritchie made two Sherlock Holmes movies that still go down easy: slick, brawny, and smarter than they look. The first one hits its sweet 16 in 2025, and both films just landed on Netflix. Perfect timing if you want to revisit Victorian grime, bare-knuckle deductions, and the Downey Jr./Jude Law bromance that powered the whole thing.

So, where is Sherlock Holmes 3?

Robert Downey Jr. finally gave a real update after years of radio silence. At a Collider screening event for his movie Play Dirty, he talked about why the third Sherlock didn’t happen when it almost did, and why he still wants to make it.

"God, that is loaded. How much do I give? We came pretty close at one point, and I think I am grateful that we didn't make that version of it. I won't go into what that was, which isn't meant to sound cryptic. It just didn't work out timing-wise, because we couldn't get it in before Jude [Law] was going to be unavailable. I think it was a good thing that we all stepped back. And then there was a big old pandemic and all that kind of stuff. I would love to bring a third Sherlock to the world. I really would. And we've been playing with it for a long time."

What actually happened behind the scenes

Translation: there was a version of Sherlock Holmes 3 that nearly went forward, but Jude Law’s schedule killed the timing. Looking back, Downey thinks dodging that draft was for the best. Then the pandemic slammed the brakes on everything. The part that matters now: he is still very into doing a third movie, and the idea has been kicked around for years.

Why people still want this sequel

Downey is forever Iron Man, sure, but these movies showed off a different gear. Ritchie’s Holmes isn’t just quips and CGI swagger; the role leans on quick-scan intelligence, physical precision, and razor-speed dialogue. Holmes can be prickly, obsessive, and locked inside his own brain. Making that guy fun without sanding off the edges is harder than it looks, and Downey made it feel effortless. Pair that with Law’s unflappable Watson and Ritchie’s punchy slow-mo brawls, and you get two crowd-pleasers that actually justified their style.

Quick refresher on the first two

• Sherlock Holmes (2009) — Directed by Guy Ritchie, 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, $498 million worldwide.
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) — Directed by Guy Ritchie, 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, $535 million worldwide.

Bottom line

The first film turns 16 in 2025, both movies are streaming on Netflix right now, and Downey still wants to make Sherlock Holmes 3. A near-miss version almost happened, Jude Law’s schedule got in the way, the pandemic shoved everything farther down the road, and the team has been tinkering with it ever since. Is it happening? No dates, no green light yet. The desire is there. In the meantime, the two we have still crackle, and they’re a solid rewatch if you want to walk back into 19th-century London and watch Holmes solve crimes and pick fights in equal measure.