Robert Downey Jr. teases he's now preparing to play Sherlock Holmes once more for Sherlock Holmes 3. Although Downey has become a larger than life star thanks to his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his career renaissance also brought him to another iconic character. Downey first appeared as the famous English detective in 2009's Sherlock Holmes, and quickly followed it up by starring in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in 2011. Despite making over $1 billion combined, it's only recently that the third film has started to take shape.

The third film received a major update from Warner Bros. earlier this year when it was given a 2020 release date. The announcement confirmed Downey's return as Sherlock and Jude Law's as his trusty best friend, Watson. Even though the film isn't hitting theaters for over two years, Downey is now teasing his preparation to play the part again.

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Downey shared the tease on Twitter today with a gif of him as Sherlock Holmes. With a caption that reads "Practicing my Sherlock face," this looks to be a not so subtle way for him to indicate that the movie is coming along nicely. That said, fans will have to wait for a production schedule to surface before it's revealed when Downey will return to set for this role.

As of right now, Downey's schedule is wide open for Sherlock Holmes 3. He is likely going to be involved with Avengers 4's reshoots that are either happening right now or will start soon. His work on The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle is also likely finished, which should make Sherlock Holmes 3 the next thing on his schedule. Jude Law's schedule is also fairly open now that Captain Marvel is wrapped. But, since no firm production dates have been set, this may just Downey re-familiarizing himself with a character he hasn't played in seven years.

This playful tease by Downey also doesn't signify any immediate movement on Sherlock Holmes 3 as it still is officially without a director. Although Guy Ritchie was at one time expected to return, his involvement was not a sure thing according to the last update. If he is going to return, then Sherlock Holmes 3 won't get any real movement until next summer, after Ritchie finishes his work on Disney's live-action Aladdin. However, Ritchie's next project is reportedly going to be Toff Guys, which could push production on Sherlock Holmes 3 till late 2019. If either option with Ritchie is what happens, then Downey should have plenty of time to practice his Sherlock face. But, if Sherlock Holmes 3 moves forward without the English director, then this could be Downey teasing movement is coming sooner than expected.

More: 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of Sherlock Holmes

Source: Robert Downey Jr.

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