The creatives behind theSherlockseries would love to return for a fifth season. In fact, they’d start tomorrow if not for the busy schedules of lead actorsBenedict Cumberbatchand Martin Freeman. Speaking withRadio Times, Steven Moffat stated emphatically that he, Mark Gatiss, and producer Sue Vertue are eager to make anotherSherlockadventure, but sadly there are some pretty challenging obstacles in their way — namely the A-list careers of Cumberbatch and Freeman.
“I’d do Sherlock again tomorrow, why ask me? Mark would do it tomorrow, Sue [Vertue, producer] would do it tomorrow – we’d all just do it again. It’s down to Benedict and Martin [Freeman] … They were very loyal to that show over a very long while when it was out, when it definitely became their lowest paying job.”
Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories,Sherlocktransports the famous sleuth to the modern-day. Led by Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes andMartin Freemanas Doctor John Watson, the series has been praised for its performances, writing, and how it adapts the source material, with many hoping that the series will return someday. Well, if Moffat had his way, that “someday” would be tomorrow.
“And I don’t think that’s necessarily what they want to do now – fair enough, absolutely fair enough. But if anyone thinks I’m the one getting in the way, I will confidently tell you I would start writing it tomorrow, if everybody else did too.”
Perhaps hearing such passion fromSteven Moffatwill convince Cumberbatch and Freeman to take a break from their Hollywood duties and return for one more Sherlock outing.
FellowSherlockcreator Mark Gatiss echoed these sentiments, revealing that they have “not shut the door” on a potentialSherlockSeason 5, and stating again that he and Moffat would “very much like to do some more”. Though he too was quick to point out the busy schedules of Sherlock’s leads saying, “But you may have noticed, the cast are very busy. So that’s where we are at the moment really. I mean… who can say?”
Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman are Currently Busy Tackling Villains in the MCU
Of course, the possibility ofSherlockSeason 5 all hinges on both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, both of whom are currently quite busy facing down villains in theMarvel Cinematic Universe. Freeman is due to reprise the role of Everett K. Ross in several Marvel projects, includingBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreveron the big screen andSecret Invasionon the small screen.
Benedict Cumberbatch, meanwhile, has slowly emerged as an MCU mainstay, with the actor recently appearing as Doctor Strange in the hugely successfulSpider-Man: No Way Home. The actor will next reprise the role of The Master of the Mystic Arts in the highly anticipatedDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,which is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 11, 2025, as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
