Moriarty star Jared Harris wants people to stop asking him about Sherlock Holmes 3, saying, “I keep taking that down [on IMDb].” The first two films, both directed by Guy Ritchie, earned a combined $1 billion at the box office against a total $215 million production budget, proving that the franchise has been a profitable one for Warner Bros.

However, it’s been over a decade since A Game of Shadows was released in 2011, and though Sherlock Holmes 3 was announced shortly after the second film premiered, its release date remains unknown. The third film has been stuck in development hell for years, with several writers reportedly working on the script.

During a recent interview with The Direct promoting Foundation season 3, Harris was asked for the latest update on Sherlock Holmes 3. However, the actor, who played Professor James Moriarty in A Game of Shadows, says he has no information about the threequel and wishes people would stop asking him about it since he’s not involved. Read his full response below:

Yeah. I mean, I keep taking that down [on IMDb] and someone keeps putting it back up. I have no idea. No one’s talking to me about it. And I really wish people would stop asking me… It should be on there. I mean, no one’s talking to me about it. I have no clue.

What This Means For Sherlock Holmes 3

What’s Going On With The Threequel?

Sherlock Holmes 3 was initially announced in 2011, soon after A Game of Shadows premiered, but progress remained stagnant until development resumed in 2018. In July 2019, it was revealed that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher would helm the project, though no further updates have been provided since. The reason behind Guy Ritchie’s replacement was never officially disclosed.

Warner Bros. also brought on Narcos co-creator Chris Brancato to write the screenplay. When Fletcher joined as director, a 2021 release was planned, but that timeline fell through, most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, no new release date has been set.

Although Sherlock Holmes 3 appeared to be abandoned after years of inactivity, a promising update came in November 2024 when Jude Law revealed that a new version of the script had been completed. However, no additional information has emerged since then.

Our Take On Sherlock Holmes 3

Will It Ever Happen?

Over a decade has pᴀssed since Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows debuted, and the likelihood of a third installment being made appears to be fading. Numerous hurdles stand in the way. Chief among them is Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).

Filming for Doomsday is expected to continue through late 2025, while Secret Wars will likely dominate most of Downey’s 2026. With both films slated for December releases in 2026 and 2027, Downey Jr. likely wouldn’t be available for filming until at least 2027, pushing a potential release of Sherlock Holmes 3 to sometime in 2028 at the earliest.

Source: The Direct