The new year came in with a bang for fans ofSherlockwith the long-awaited holiday specialThe Abonimable Bride, the first episode to air in two years. The show will return with Season 4 later this year, and while a premiere date hasn’t been given yet, it may be announced during their annual Comic-Con panel, which will be held on Sunday, July 24. Today we have the first photo featuring Sherlock Holmes' (Benedict Cumberbatch) new canine sidekick, along with more details about the show’s future from writer and executive producerSteven Moffat.
WhileSteven Moffatwouldn’t shed any light onBenedict Cumberbatch’s new animal friend, he did hint thatSherlockSeason 4 may be its last. While nothing has been confirmed yet, the writer-producer toldThe Guardianthat he isn’t sure how long they can keep going, because series starsBenedict CumberbatchandMartin Freemanare so in demand. Here’s whatSteven Moffathad to say below.
“I don’t know how long we can keep it going. I’m personally willing but I’m hardly the main draw. I would be moderately surprised if this was the last time we ever made this show. But it absolutely could be. We do have two film stars in the programme. They haven’t needed to do these jobs for a very long time. They’re coming back because they want to.”
WhenSherlockdebuted in 2010, bothBenedict CumberbatchandMartin Freemanweren’t nearly as popular as they are now, thanks to hit movies likeThe Imitation Game,The Hobbittrilogy and many more. Nothing is set in stone as to the future ofSherlock, butSteven Moffatrevealed that he’s still surprised that his stars are willing to come back. Here’s what he had to say below, hinting that the show could continue with an off-and-on approach.
“I’m amazed that we’ve got this far. I thought that once they had become extremely successful, we would only get to do one more series. There’s never going to come a time when we do a longer run, because this is what the series has become. It’s an occasional treat where you get three movies. It’s how it works. That’s why I think it’s unlikely that we’ve completely finished it. There would be nothing strange in stopping for a while. It could go on forever, coming back now and again.”
As forSherlock Season 4, the first of the three feature-lengthepisodeswill be directed byRachel Talalay, who has worked as a director, producer, and professor in film and television for more than 25 years, having previously directedDoctor Who,The FlashandThe Wind in the Willows.Sherlockis written and created bySteven MoffatandMark Gatiss, and inspired by the works of SirArthur Conan Doyle. Take a look at the newSherlockSeason 4 photo below, and stay tuned for more on this highly-anticipated season.
