Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow announced on Monday that a third installment in its “Sherlock Holmes” franchise starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective is in the works, with a release date planned for Christmas Day 2020.
The film will be a follow-up to the 2011 film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” which grossed $545 million worldwide.
There is no confirmation whether Downey or his co-star, Jude Law, will return to the series.
Downey won a Golden Globe in 2010 for his performance as Holmes in the first installment of the series, in which Holmes and Law’s Dr. Watson uncover a supernatural plot to expand the British Empire.
Downey is currently slated to star in “The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle” as the titular main character and will return to play Tony Stark in the sequel to “Avengers: Infinity War,” with both films due out next year.
Law, who will appear as Albus Dumbledore in Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” is currently filming the Marvel Studios’ film “Captain Marvel,” which will hit theaters next March.
Guy Ritchie directed the two previous “Holmes” films, which were also produced by Village Roadshow. Producers Susan Downey, Joel Silver and Lionel Wigram are returning to oversee this project, with “Narcos” co-creator Chris Brancato currently attached to write the script.
No director has been chosen for the project yet, with Ritchie currently directing Disney’s upcoming remake of “Aladdin,” which will come out next year.
Other Warner Bros. films currently planned for release in 2020 include the third installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” a new “Scooby-Doo” animated movie, and the DC superhero movie “Cyborg.”