Warner Bros. has moved "Sherlock Holmes 3" back a year, with the studio announcing a Dec. 21, 2021 release date.

The studio had originally announced last May that "Sherlock Holmes 3" would open on Christmas Day of 2020 with Robert Downey Jr reprising his role as the titular British detective while Jude Law portrays his sidekick, Dr. Watson.

The reason WB moved the film back is unclear, but it faces some pretty heavy competition in the 2021 holiday season. Not only does it come out a couple weeks after James Cameron’s Avatar 3, it will open against Hotel Transylvania 4, the Wicked adaptation and another Disney live-action remake. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes 3's original date of December 25th, 2020 has now been given to an untitled WB event film.

"Sherlock Holmes 3" will open a decade after the second film "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows", which also starred Jared Harris and Noomi Rapace, took in $545.4 million at the worldwide box office. The original "Sherlock Holmes", which also starred Rachel McAdams, was released in 2009 and grossed $524 million globally. Guy Ritchie directed the first two films.

Source: Press Release