Sherlock & Moriarty’s Shocking Enola Holmes 3 Ending And Future Explained By Netflix Director And Star

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Enola Holmes 3.After Enola Holmes 3, the future of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty’s rivalry may just be getting started.

Henry Cavill reprises the role of Sherlock, while Sharon Duncan-Brewster returns to portray the criminal mastermind Moriarty. She kidnaps the renowned detective, and while he is saved by his sister (Millie Bobby Brown) during the ending of Enola Holmes 3, he nearly kills the villain. Enola talks Sherlock out of going through with it, and Moriarty is defeated, but this may not be the end of their story.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for Enola Holmes 3, director Philip Barantini was asked whether there was ever a consideration of Sherlock pulling the trigger and leaning into the darker side of the character. The filmmaker confirmed that he personally wanted to see Sherlock do it, and the gun is held long enough to make the audience genuinely wonder what will happen, but the scene is ultimately more about the character losing his temper and showing vulnerability for once. Check out Barantini’s comments below:

Oh, yeah. That’s why I wanted to hold him to hold the gun there for so long, because I wanted the audience to be like, “Is he going to do this? Is he not?” We’ve never seen Sherlock like that before, losing his temper a little bit but also showing his vulnerable side. I talked a lot with Henry about that, and how we were going to do it, being very respectful to him as an actor in terms of how to get there. But I definitely wanted to see him pull the trigger. But also, I love Sharon Duncan-Brewster. She’s the most amazing human being on the planet, so no.

Himesh Patel, who plays Dr. John Watson, and Brewster were asked if they believed Sherlock should have taken the shot. Patel is adamant that it was the right call not to kill Moriarty, while acknowledging the emotional complexity of the scene. Brewster, on the other hand, wishes the trigger had been pulled to explore what this would mean for Moriarty and to unleash a darker version of Sherlock.

Himesh Patel: No, absolutely not. That moment speaks to the complexity of what we’re tackling in this movie. Who has the right to be angry? Who has the right to take the shot? All this sort of stuff. It’s very interesting.
Sharon Duncan-Brewster: That’s such a good question. Do I think Sherlock should have taken the shot? Yes, because I’d be intrigued to find out how Moriarty would have gotten out of it, because that’s what she does. She somehow is capable of it. She’s so elusive, so I wonder what the superpower would then be to survive that and for the audience to see. I think the problem is Sherlock is such a controlled, refined human being that he shouldn’t take the shot. Sherlock knows better than that. There we go. But I, Sharon, would personally say yes because it would have even taken it to another level. But that’s dark, and it’s pretty dark as it is already.

Moriarty is knocked unconscious by Lady Tewkesbury (Hattie Morahan), but the antagonist’s fate is left ambiguous after this. When Brewster was asked if she believes Moriarty is still alive, the actor was optimistic that this is the case, and hopes to return in a fourth Enola Holmes movie.

Maybe! I’m hoping the answer’s going to be yes, because I do think there’s scope for her to come back. I’d love to play her again. There’s a world where it would be gorgeous to see an Enola 4. If people have followed the journey from the beginning, you see how much things have shifted and how Enola’s grown, and also how the franchise has grown as well. It’s going to be really exciting to see what would happen in a couple of years for a fourth movie. So, yes, I would love for Moriarty to be alive, well, and high-kicking.

In many Sherlock Holmes stories, he and Moriarty are already longtime enemies. This is not the case in the Enola Holmes movies, as Moriarty’s identity is only revealed at the end of the second installment. Compared to numerous other iterations of their characters, Sherlock and Moriarty are still only in their earliest stages of their rivalry, which leaves a great deal of room for potential exploration moving forward.

Netflix has not confirmed a fourth movie yet, and the decision likely will not be revealed until more viewership data has been gathered. As of this writing, though, Enola Holmes 3 is the number one movie on Netflix’s global streaming chart, along with being in the top spot in the United States and 68 other countries, which indicates a strong start.

While the previous two films were acclaimed by critics and audiences, reviews for Enola Holmes 3 have been more mixed. It has a 73% Tomatometer score and 59% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a significant drop from its predecessors, both of which have “Certified Fresh” critics’ scores. Some reviews suggest that the franchise may have run its course, but the comments from Barantini, Patel, and Brewster tease that there is still more story left to tell, especially when it comes to Sherlock and Moriarty.

Enola Holmes 3 is now streaming on Netflix.