Guy Ritchie’s Thrilling Action Movie Waiting For A Sequel Refuses To Die On Apple TV

Published Sep 20, 2026, 9:18 PM EDT

Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. 

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie is known for making movies packed with action and excitement. Some of these reside within the crime genre, like Snatch, The Gentlemen, and Wrath of Man. Others are more straightforward action movies, like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He’s even delved into the fantasy realm with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the live-action Aladdin remake.

Most of Ritchie’s movies have been standalone offerings, but there’s one big exception. After directing Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, the trio reunited for 2011’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. While the wait for Sherlock Holmes 3 continues 15 years later, the first movie in this film series continues to shine on Apple TV.

Guy Ritchie Reinvents A Literary Icon In Sherlock Holmes

Earlier this month, Sherlock Holmes placed #6 on Apple TV’s Top 10 Movies chart, and now the Guy Ritchie-helmed adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary character is ranked in third place. It trails only behind ahead of Mayday at #1 and The Proposal at #2, and comes out ahead of F1, which was an Apple Original Films production, at #4. Sherlock Holmes’ performance on Apple TV is a testament to how popular the movie remains nearly 20 years after its release.

Although there have been Sherlock Holmes movies stretching back to the beginning of the 20th century, Ritchie reinvented the fictional detective for the 21st century. While his Sherlock Holmes movies keep the character in the traditional late 19th century London, England setting, Downey’s Sherlock and Law’s Dr. John Watson solve mysteries in a more blockbuster setting. Going in this creative direction paid off, because, along with being met with primarily positive critical reception, the first movie made $524 million worldwide. A Game of Shadows earned similar reactions and made nearly $544 million worldwide.

What Happened To Sherlock Holmes 3

Despite the persisting popularity of Ritchie’s two Sherlock Holmes movies, Sherlock Holmes 3 remains in development hell. Warner Bros. Pictures announced in October 2011 that a Sherlock Holmes 3 script was being written, and by 2018, the studio gave the movie a December 25, 2020 release date. In 2019, the release was moved to December 22, 2021, and Rocketman’s Dexter Fletcher was tapped to take over directorial duties from Ritchie. That release plan was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, Fletcher said he was working on the script with Downey and writer Joe Penhall. That same year, Team Downey’s Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell said that Sherlock Holmes 3 “is a priority for the company and a priority for Robert.” However, in July 2026, Chris Brancato, who wrote an earlier draft of the script, shared that it's "up to the movie gods" whether Sherlock Holmes 3 gets made. In 2020, it was also announced that the Sherlock Holmes film series would evolve into a franchise comprising spinoff movies and HBO Max TV shows, but nothing has surfaced on that front either.

Though there’s been no movement lately on Sherlock Holmes 3, Ritchie maintains a different kind of connection to Doyle’s creation. He developed the Prime Video series Young Sherlock with Peter Harness, while Matthew Parkhill serves as showrunner. Set in a different continuity than Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movies, this TV show follows Hero Fiennes Tiffin's Sherlock meeting Dónal Finn’s James Moriarty at Oxford University. Prime Video ordered Young Sherlock season 2 in April, but a release date hasn’t been set yet.

Ritchie’s next movie, Wife & Dog, opens in theaters on February 19, 2027.