The iconic Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes has taken on many forms over the years. From Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock (2010-2017) to Johnny Lee Miller in Elementary (2012-2019), the notorious sleuth has had many faces on the silver screen. However, none of these versions seems to have had quite the amount of praise from both critics and viewers alike, as Robert Downey Jr.’s take in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011). The praise for Downey Jr.’s Holmes is so unanimous that the actor will be a part of the third upcoming film in development and has undertaken to produce rights for the two spin-off series in partnership with HBO Max.
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Robert Downey Jr., son of famous actor Robert Downey Sr., started his illustrious career at the tender age of five in his father’s film Pound (1970). From there, he skyrocketed into fame, taking part in films with the famous Brat Pack during the ’80s and even earning a BAFTA for Best Actor for his work in Chaplin (1992). Although Downey Jr. had an addiction issue that was rather public, even getting sentenced to some jail time, the actor has made many positive changes. After a long journey, RDJ found blockbuster success in 2008 when he was featured in Tropic Thunder, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. But that would not be the biggest film of the year for the actor.
That same year, Iron Man was released, kicking off the superhero universe that would take over the world, with RDJ as the forefather. The actor took on the 1st pillar of MCU and was instantly met with praise. He became the comic book hero through and through, earning award nominations and getting to take part in almost every MCU film, in mention or otherwise, for the following ten years. The role of Tony Stark, playboy-billionaire-philanthropist, practically swallowed the actor’s career for eleven years. The only role that even compared to the super-titan was that of renowned sleuth Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 retelling.
RDJ Meet Sherlock
Warner Bros. Pictures
Sherlock Holmes, released Christmas Day 2009, was directed by Guy Ritchie, known for his films Snatch (2000) and the recent Disney live-action hit Aladdin (2019). The first film followed Holmes as he and his faithful sidekick Watson use their sleuthing skills to save London from a black-magic-obsessed mastermind. The sequel went along the same guidelines. Think of a Bond film, but in 19th century London. The movie starred Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the crime-solving duo, Holmes and Watson. Law is known for multiple roles in films like Closer (2004), The Holiday (2006), and the television series The Young Pope (2016).
The two became a great pair through the Doyle-centric world, and the film earned $585 million on a fairly small $90 million budget. Needless to say, the film was a success. The sequel did equally as well, earning $545 million after its 2011 premiere. RDJ earned a Golden Globe for his role in the franchise, and the films were nominated for numerous Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Art Direction.
Expanding the Sherlock-Verse
There were talks of a third film for the franchise, but Robert Downey Jr.’s commitment to the massive conglomerate that is Marvel stood in the way. In 2020, with Tony Stark’s story concluded, there seemed to be an open door and the film was scheduled to begin shooting and even had a release date planned for sometime in 2021. However, with the infamous pandemic, like so many other things the film had to be put on the backburner. Luckily, while the film has not set a date to begin production, it has been rumored to be in development. These rumors have only been confirmed by the announcement of two Sherlock spin-off shows that will be streaming in the future on HBO Max.
We expect the shows will follow some newly introduced characters from the third installment. The shows will have Lionel Wigram, who produced the previous movies, as an executive producer, alongside with Team Downey, a production company founded by Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey. The goal of the series is to begin a cinematic universe for the mysterious world created by Conan Doyle.
Susan Downey commented on their plans, saying, “We definitely have kind of grand schemes and plans and all that, but it takes a lot. It takes a lot of coordination because, again, Marvel wasn’t built in a day. It took several wins and things that worked very well to then be able to connect them, to then be able to branch out.” RDJ even weighed in to assure fans that the productions would be, to some extent, original: “We’re not repeaters. We don’t want to just try to do what’s been done somewhere else.”
