Henry Cavill’s 2026 Sherlock Holmes Return Is A Harsh Update For Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock

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Henry Cavill is set to reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes in a new movie coming out in 2026. Recent news about the film unfortunately suggests it’s unlikely Robert Downey Jr. will ever return to play the iconic detective. The popularity of movies like Knives Out has led to a surge in detective-themed content in recent years.

While films like Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man are recent additions to the detective genre, Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes movies were huge global successes. A third film starring Downey and Jude Law seemed highly likely, but it never came to fruition. Now, a new take on the detective story is revealing a difficult reality.

Henry Cavill Will Be Back As Sherlock Holmes In 2026

Even though fans are still hoping to see Robert Downey Jr. return as Sherlock Holmes – similar to his recent comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – another actor known for playing a superhero is now taking on the role. Henry Cavill first appeared as Sherlock Holmes in the 2020 film Enola Holmes, which actually centered on the story of Sherlock and Mycroft’s sister, Enola, played by Millie Bobby Brown.

Though Stranger Things season 5 may be the show’s finale, Millie Bobby Brown continues to work with Netflix, with Enola Holmes 3 planned for release in 2026. Henry Cavill will return for the third Enola Holmes film, and it’s been revealed that Louis Partridge’s character, Tewkesbury, will propose to Enola in the movie.

Henry Cavill’s Sherlock Holmes Return Shows How Robert Downey Jr. Is Unlikely To Come Back

Henry Cavill played Sherlock Holmes in a separate film series, so he isn’t taking over the role from Robert Downey Jr. But seeing Cavill as Holmes makes it seem even less likely that Downey will ever return to the character – if he was going to, it probably would have happened by now.

A major reason given for the hold-up of Sherlock Holmes 3 is that stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have very full schedules. However, Henry Cavill has also been incredibly busy while playing Sherlock Holmes. He’s simultaneously led the Netflix series The Witcher for several seasons, reprised his role as Superman, and worked on other films.

The most recent Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downey Jr. was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which came out in 2011. That was 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Enola Holmes premiered in 2020, followed by a second film on Netflix in 2022, and a third is coming in 2026. Henry Cavill has quickly filmed three Sherlock Holmes movies in just six years, making a return to the role by Downey seem unlikely.

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2026-01-07 23:48