Here’s some disappointing news if you were still waiting for ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’

Production on the long-awaited third Sherlock Holmes movie has hit the brakes.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law made their debut as Holmes and Watson over a decade ago in 2009’s Sherlock Holmes.

The film was a hit and a sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, followed in 2011.

A belated follow-up was officially announced in 2018, with a release set for Christmas Day 2020, but this date was then pushed back to December 2021.

However, the movie’s director Dexter Fletcher has now revealed that it’s “on the back burner.”

The Rocketman director was set to take over from Guy Ritchie, who helmed the first two instalments.

Speaking on the Celebrity Catch Up Podcast, Fletcher broke the bad news: “Sherlock‘s hit its own issues on and off.”

He explained that the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the project being delayed for now.

Fletcher commented: “That’s sort of sitting on the back burner at the moment until it becomes clear where the world is at and what’s going to happen.”

The British direct was also working on a remake of classic British TV series The Saint.

He added: “They’re both up against the same dilemma, the same issue that we all [have]: How do you get large groups of people together to create something and then shift them all around the world? And what do you do with actors that are in a love scene? It’s complicated.”

While Sherlock Holmes 3 hasn’t officially been taken off the release schedule, we wouldn’t expect it to still arrive in cinemas on the planned 2021 date.

In the meantime, Holmes fans can enjoy Netflix’s Enola Holmes movie and the upcoming The Irregulars series, also coming to Netflix.

The first two Sherlock Holmes movies are available on DVD on Amazon.