Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have repeatedly expressed interest in reviving the show ever since the fourth season came to a rather definitive conclusion for the titular character and his companion John Watson. Now, during the Radio Times Covers Party, Moffat has once again reiterated that they’d not hesitate for a second to resurrect the series if Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman had more schedule freedom.
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. They were very loyal to that show over a very long while when it was out, when it definitely became their lowest paying job. 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.
I don’t suppose the Sherlock paycheck would compare to that of the MCU so far as Cumberbatch is concerned. Having finished the work on Spider-Man: No Way Home, the actor will soon be returning to the big screens in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is his next big solo outing.
As for Martin Freeman, The Hobbit star made his Marvel debut a few years ago as Everett Ross and will be reprising that role in Secret Invasion and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, so there’s admittedly not much leeway there, either.
Moffat also talked about another problem that none of them might necessarily be able to “get past,” involving the tragic passing away of Una Stubbs, who portrayed Mrs. Hudson in the show, a while ago.
Maybe if we reassembled that set and she didn’t magically appear, we might all be too sad to make a show. So those are the facts. We would do it, I’d do it, Mark would do it, Sue would do it. We might be too sad to get through it. And we’d need our leading men and, quite understandably, they may well feel they’ve done their time.
Your move, Benedict and Martin.