Himesh Patel Wants a Classic Sherlock-Watson Story With Henry Cavill

With Enola Holmes 3 freshly available on Netflix, the conversation has naturally turned from what the film delivers to what could come next — and one of its co-stars has some compelling ideas. Himesh Patel, who steps into the role of Dr. John Watson in the threequel, has spoken candidly about his desire to see the franchise explore the most iconic pairing in detective fiction more thoroughly.

Patel Makes the Case for a Fuller Holmes-Watson Dynamic

Speaking to ScreenRant, Patel was direct about what he'd love to see from a potential continuation. He described wanting to tell "a classic Sherlock-Watson story" alongside Henry Cavill, emphasizing how much he values both the actor and what Cavill brings to the role of the world's most famous consulting detective. Patel called Cavill's work in the new film "really special" and made clear that his enthusiasm isn't merely diplomatic — he genuinely believes there's dramatic territory left unexplored between the two characters.

It's a sentiment that carries some weight when you consider the lineage of Holmes-Watson pairings on screen. From Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce's golden-era chemistry to Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law's kinetic, bickering partnership in Guy Ritchie's films, and Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman's cerebral dynamic in the BBC's Sherlock, the duo has consistently proven that the relationship between detective and chronicler is at least as compelling as any mystery they solve. Cavill and Patel haven't yet had the runway to establish their own version of that dynamic — and that, arguably, is precisely the point Patel is making.

Where Enola Holmes 3 Leaves Watson and Sherlock

Henry Cavill returns as Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes 3 on Netflix, but the film's structure keeps its two Baker Street residents largely separated. The story pivots on Sherlock being abducted just before Enola's wedding to Lord Tewkesbury, played by Louis Partridge, forcing Enola and Watson into an unlikely rescue partnership. It's an effective enough narrative engine, but it does mean that Cavill and Patel share only limited screen time — which makes Patel's hunger for more all the more understandable.

The groundwork for their friendship was laid at the end of Enola Holmes 2, when Enola orchestrated Watson's arrival at 221B Baker Street, recognizing that her fiercely self-sufficient brother needed a companion. Directed by Philip Barantini from a script by Jack Thorne, the new film builds on that setup without fully capitalizing on it — a creative choice that may leave audiences, like Patel himself, curious about what a story centered squarely on the detective duo might look like.

What Comes Next for Cavill's Holmes

As of now, Netflix has made no formal announcement regarding either Enola Holmes 4 or a spinoff centered on Sherlock and Watson. The broader landscape of Holmes adaptations is nevertheless quite active: Prime Video is developing a second season of Young Sherlock, Sky Television has The Death of Sherlock Holmes in the pipeline, and independent production house Former Prodigy Media is moving forward with Moriarty Rising: A Sherlock Holmes Tale. The character is, as ever, in high demand across multiple platforms.

For Cavill personally, his next confirmed project is the live-action Voltron film, currently targeting a 2027 release — a reminder that the actor continues to operate across a wide range of franchise properties. Whether he returns to the deerstalker will depend on how Netflix reads the audience response to Enola Holmes 3 and whether the appetite exists to push the universe beyond Enola's own story arc.

A Franchise at a Crossroads

There's something instructive about the critical response to Enola Holmes 3, which has been broadly positive while also acknowledging that the series is beginning to strain at the edges of its own premise as it draws more heavily on Holmesian mythology. A spinoff that placed Sherlock and Watson front and center would represent a meaningful creative pivot — less an expansion of Enola's world and more a distinct chapter in one of literature's most enduring partnerships. Whether Netflix ultimately greenlit that remains to be seen, but Patel's advocacy suggests the interest, at least on the talent side, is very much there.

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