Martin Freeman isn’t ruling out a fifth season of Sherlock, but he says a film might have a better chance of being made.
Freeman spoke to Collider while promoting the second season of his Hulu series, Breeders. When asked about whether a Sherlock film could be in the cards, he seemed optimistic.
“Yeah, I think it is possible,” Freeman said. “It might be more likely, yeah. I think we’ve all left it so that it’s not a full stop, it’s just a big ellipsis or a big pause. Maybe it’s because we don’t want to say, ‘Oh, it’s a full stop.’ I’m not sure. To be honest, I’m a big believer in not going past your sell-by date, in anything, really. Don’t outstay your welcome. So, I suppose we would have to see if we have outstayed our welcome when the time comes and whether people have moved on to something else. So, I don’t know. I really liked doing it. I’m very proud of the show. It’s one of the best-written things I’ve done. It’s one of the best-directed things I’ve done. I really enjoy doing it, but I don’t know. It’s been a while now. It’s four years since a new one was on. So, yeah, maybe the more likely thing is a one-off.”
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As Freeman notes, Season 4 of Sherlock aired in January 2017, making it over four years since the series has been on the BBC and PBS. But with it streaming on Netflix, the idea of a big gap between seasons isn’t as big of a hindrance as it might’ve been in the past.
Benedict Cumberbatch, for his part, recently said something similar, noting that a movie might be easier to manage than another season of the show. After all, Sherlock‘s episodes are 90 minutes, so filming a single movie could potentially be simpler than three movie-length episodes of TV.
“Maybe one day, if the script’s right,” Cumberbatch said when asked about the show’s cinematic prospects. “And I say ‘the script,’ maybe it could be a film rather than the series. Who knows? But anyway, not for now.”
While everyone involved is game for more adventures, both Cumberbatch and Freeman are extremely busy. In addition to Breeders, Freeman will be returning for Black Panther 2, which should begin filming this year. Cumberbatch, meanwhile, is currently filming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Source: Collider