Robert Downey Jr.’s Elite Action Thriller Deserves a Sequel 15 Years After Its Release

If you’re itching for a new Sherlock Holmes fix, but you’ve already binged your way through Young Sherlock, it may be time to look back and revisit Guy Ritchie‘s other inspired take on literature’s most famous detective. Based quite loosely on the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ritchie previously helmed Sherlock Holmes, an action-packed take on the character featuring Robert Downey Jr. in the leading role that still makes waves after all these years. In fact, fans still hold tightly to the re-imagining and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows —and it’s about time that a third mystery springs afoot.

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Successfully Reinvented the Classic Detective as a Period Action Hero

Part of what made Ritchie’s take on the famed British detective so instantly memorable is that it didn’t pull from any one Sherlock story in particular. Instead, the 2009 triumph crafted a new mystery in the spirit of Doyle’s originals that fit right into Ritchie’s particular brand of action-oriented adventures. This time around, Sherlock and his partner, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), investigate a new string of murders across London by the notorious (and supposedly deceased) Lord Henry Blackwood (Mark Strong), a man who claims to have supernatural abilities that make him quite the local legend. Of course, like all good mysteries, this case takes Holmes and Watson all across the city as they discover that there’s more than meets the eye about Blackwood — and Holmes’ flirtatious adversary Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), who finds herself in the middle of all the action.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of Sherlock Holmes re-imaginations. From BBC’s Sherlock to CBS’ Elementary to the upcoming Sky Television series The Death of Sherlock Holmes, many have brought the famed detective to life in new and creative ways. But Ritchie did something unique with his take on Holmes and Watson by fixating on the former’s love of boxing and using that small detail from Doyle’s work as a springboard to turn Sherlock Holmes into a period action blockbuster. Sure, Sherlock Holmes is a popular character, but nobody would have suspected that the slim-and-stoic detective would end up headlining an action-packed adventure that boasts incredibly well-stylized fight sequences with Holmes at the center. But between Ritchie’s stylish appeal and Downey’s inspired performance as the literary hero (no matter how different he may be from our usual perceptions), Sherlock Holmes was a hit that nobody could have seen coming. It’s no wonder this film got a sequel — and it’s about time for another.

After All This Time, Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes Deserves Another Movie

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ends by not just adapting “The Final Problem” and hinting at “The Adventure of the Empty House,” but by teasing that there are more mysteries to be solved by Holmes and Watson. Ever since Holmes outsmarted Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) at the Reichenbach Falls, audiences have been clamoring for Ritchie to reunite with his leading stars for a third outing that once again surprises viewers with carefully crafted twists and turns. Downey and Law have repeatedly expressed their willingness to reprise their roles, and though Ritchie has gone on to helm Young Sherlock (a Prime Video project that is, seemingly, unrelated), he too remains devoted to this interpretation of the literary characters.