Robert Downey Jr.stirred up some excitement the other day when he mentioned that Warner Bros.‘Sherlock Holmes 3might actually be happening after all. The first film, released on Christmas Day in 2009, went on to net over $500 million at the global box office, while the 2011 follow-upSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadowsexceeded that total by more than $20 million. So what happened? Well as you might imagine, Downey Jr.’s been a little busy filming four Marvel movies since the last outing asSir Arthur Conan Doyle’sfamous sleuth.
While Downey Jr.’s schedule might not be clearing out any time soon, he’s expressed an interest in revisitingSherlock Holmeswith co-starJude Lawand directorGuy Ritchieif they’re given a worthwhile story. Enter screenwriterJames Coyne. AsDeadlinereports, Warner Bros. has tapped Coyne to do a re-write ofDrew Pearce’sprevious script. At the moment, no plot details are available.
Image via Warner Bros.[/caption]
Here’s what Downey Jr. had to say about the state ofSherlock Holmes 3prior to the announcement of Coyne being added to the ranks of the film’s screenwriters:
“We’re talking about it right now. NOW. I can’t wait… I know Guy Ritchie loves me as much as I love him – and he damn well should. When we’re making thoseSherlockmovies it is off the hook. We’ll attempt to make one this year. It really is a big deal to go and do those movies. I’m tired all the time, but I’m excited about it.”
Coyne’s previous screenwriting efforts includeDominic Purcell-frontedVikingdomand the action-orientedPuncture Wounds; he’s been announced as the writer for an adaptation ofRob Liefeld’sAvengelynecomic as well. Though I’m not familiar with any of those works, his two produced screenplays weren’t exactly well-received by audiences. I’m curious to see how Coyne can improve upon Pearce’s work, but if Warner Bros. was happy with his efforts on theirTreasure Islandscript rewrites, perhaps they saw something worth producing. Time will tell if the pieces align to bring anotherSherlock Holmesmovie to theaters.
Would you be up for another round with Watson and Holmes? Are there any particular tales you’d like to see them tackle? Let us know in the comments!
