‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ Isn’t the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Sequel Anyone Wanted

Guy Ritchie‘s two Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr. playing the title character are among the most beloved projects to feature the iconic detective, so although it’s great that Ritchie is finally helming another Sherlock Holmes project, it’s actually quite devastating to find out what he has in mind. While Young Sherlock stands a great chance of attracting a strong viewership, there will be countless fans begging him to realign his long-awaited return to the franchise with what everyone has been waiting for.

Now that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books have entered the public domain, new stories from various sources that feature reworked versions of the iconic characters and storylines seem to be materializing every day. In 2009, when Ritchie and the Iron Man star first teamed up to make their first Sherlock movie, not all the source material was yet so legally available for adaptation. Since then, and the 2011 sequel, the creative freedom has never been higher in that respect. So, another effort from Ritchie would have fewer narrative shackles than ever before. While that is also true for his upcoming Sherlock Holmes project, it’s still taking a very frustrating path.

Guy Ritchie’s ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ Series Should Be a Sequel to the Robert Downey Jr. Movies

2009’s Sherlock Holmes and 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows were both made with great care and produced with such speed that it very much seemed like Warner Bros. was about to have another successful franchise on its hands. They both made a lot of money at the box office, had two big-name stars leading the cast, and were generally well-received and enjoyed by audiences. Fans have been waiting fourteen years for the series to become at least a trilogy, but it simply hasn’t happened, despite the possibility being heavily discussed.

So, although the man who directed both efforts is coming back to Sherlock Holmes, a prequel show without Robert Downey Jr. feels like an inferior alternative. The beloved actor’s version of Sherlock Holmes remains among the most highly revered iterations, especially in the 21st century. A Sherlock Holmes origin story sounds like a compelling premise, but not when the most obvious option is staring Ritchie right in the face: Bringing back Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. Besides, 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes movie has already delved into the character’s lesser-known past, so Ritchie’s blueprint isn’t even all that original.

‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ Might Not Even Be Canon to the Robert Downey Jr. Movies

Warner Bros.

If Robert Downey Jr. isn’t coming back to reprise his role as Sherlock in Ritchie’s new series, it would at least have been cool to add to the lore of the universe in which the 2009 and 2011 movies are set. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the plan. The show’s official synopsis on Prime Video — which is where the show will be streaming in 2026 — describes Young Sherlock Holmes as having “all the wit and charm of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes feature films,” but doesn’t label it as a straight-up prequel.

Speaking with Deadline when the show was announced, Ritchie even explained that Hero’s Fiennes Tiffin will be playing, “an exhilarating new version of the detective,” which doesn’t sound like the actor will be bringing the same version of Sherlock to life as Robert Downey Jr. did, although it would admittedly need to be earlier in the timeline anyway. Still, it’s not impossible for Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes show to be set within the same continuity as his movies, even if it’s never confirmed or denied. The fact that the show is an Amazon property and the movies belong to Warner Bros. does technically stand in the way of this, but it depends on how hard fans are willing to imagine.

Why ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ Still Doesn’t Have a Sequel

Warner Bros.

Even when Robert Downey Jr. made his debut as Sherlock Holmes, he was still playing Tony Stark in the MCU. Still, he managed to split his time between both franchises for a while, playing Sherlock and Iron Man until his most recent appearance as the former in A Game of Shadows​​​​​​. It’s no secret that the MCU ballooned after that, and Robert Downey Jr.’s schedule became packed with productions that required him to play Tony Stark again. This might not have been the only demand on his time, but it certainly accounts for much of his availability to make another Sherlock Holmes movie.

When Iron Man died onscreen in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the possibility of his return as Sherlock started to become one of Hollywood’s most hopeful rumors. Of course, it didn’t happen, and the actor has since returned to the MCU to play Dr. Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. In the years that have separated his Marvel tenures, he starred in 2020’s Dolittle, 2023’s Oppenheimer, and a 2024 miniseries called The Sympathizer​​​​​​. In short, his schedule has become no less dense.

Because of the unavailability of both Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, among other key personnel, Sherlock Holmes 3 has fallen into the dreaded wasteland known as production limbo. There’s nothing to really stop it from happening one day, but that day is not likely to arrive anytime soon. Considering how long it’s been since Ritchie’s last movie within the franchise, the script needs to be immaculate, so fans are not disappointed. Therefore, maybe the upcoming prequel is a good way for the director to keep himself sharp when it comes to bringing Sherlock Holmes to the screen in a fulfilling way.