Robert Downey Jr. Wishes His Watson and Fellow Marvel Star Jude Law a Happy Birthday

Robert Downey Jr. wished a happy birthday to Sherlock Holmes co-star Jude Law.

Downey sent his birthday wishes via Twitter, with a GIF of his Holmes and Law’s Watson dancing.

“To my favorite dance partner…Happy birthday,” Downey wrote.

Downey plays Holmes alongside Jude Law as Dr. John Watson, the two heroes from Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective stories. They’d starred in two films so far, with a third planned for release on Christmas Day 2020.

“We hope to propel the story forward,” Law said in August of the new film. “As always, the essence of the story is their codependency. We’re going to examine — since it’s been several years since we’ve seen them — we’re going to play up the fact that they haven’t seen each other for a long time either.”

Chris Brancato is writing the film’s script. Guy Ritchie, who directed the two previous installments of the series, is expected to return for the third film.

Downey and Law first teamed with Ritchie on Sherlock Holmes in 2009. The film was well-received by fans and critics and earned $524 million worldwide. Downey also won the Golden Globe Award for his performance as Holmes, and the film was nominated for two Academy Awards.

The sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, followed in 2011. The film’s plot borrowed elements from Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes stories “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House.” Despite receiving a more mixed reception than its predecessor, A Game of Shadows went on to make $545 million worldwide.

A third film has been in some form of planning since A Game of Shadows released. Screenwriting duties have shifted on several occasions over the years, and for a time it was unclear if Warner Bros. was still interested in pursuing the sequel.

In late 2016, Warner Bros. was said to have convened a writers room to come up with a new script. It wasn’t until earlier this year that Warner Bros. placed the film on their schedule for 2020 and announced Bracanto as the film’s screenwriter.

Besides to co-starring in the Sherlock Holmes films, Law will soon join Downey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans know that Law’s Captain Marvel character is the leader of the Kree team Starforce. There have been conflicting reports about whether he is Carol Danvers’ mentor or her first real villain.

Are you excited about the next Sherlock Holmes movie? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Sherlock Holmes 3 is scheduled for theatrical release on Dec. 25, 2020.