The wait for Sherlock Holmes 3 likely just got even longer. It has been an off-and-on process trying to get Robert Downey Jr. back for one more go-around as the famed detective. Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher boarded the project last summer, which seemingly gave it new life. Unfortunately, 2020 had other plans. Now, the filmmaker has confirmed that the sequel is on the backburner for the time being.

Dexter Fletcher was recently a guest on the Celebrity Catch Up podcast. During the conversation, talk inevitably turned to Sherlock Holmes 3, which is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in time for Christmas 2021. But Fletcher revealed that a delay seems likely at this point as the uncertainty surrounding the movie business has created some issues for the long-awaited project. Here's what he had to say about it.

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Sherlock Holmes 3 director Dexter Fletcher confirms that production on the film will remain on hold until travel bans and social distancing issues change.

A post shared by IGN (@igndotcom) on Oct 22, 2020 at 9:48pm PDT

As we've seen, getting new productions, be it movies or TV shows, off the ground right now can be incredibly challenging. Studios have to take on a host of health and safety protocols to minimize risk, and even then risk can't go down to zero right now. Plus, these protocols add to a project's budget.