New Sherlock Holmes Show’s Future Gets Encouraging Update From Star

Published Oct 18, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 10 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. Sherlock Holmes' return is far from over. Sherlock Holmes was created by writer and physician Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, with the character's debut in the novella A Study in Scarlet. The character then appeared in four novels and 56 short stories written by Doyle, who was modeled after Dr. Joseph Bell, his former professor at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Sherlock Holmes has been the face of countless adaptations since his creation, and now a new adaptation could mark an entirely new change. The Death of Sherlock Holmes is bringing a bold interpretation of the popular mastermind, with Rafe Spall, set to portray Lucius Malfoy in HBO's Harry Potter series, joining as the new face of Holmes. In an interview with Deadline, Spall spoke of the upcoming adaptation, as well as gave some hope for the future of the series should it succeed. When asked if The Death of Sherlock Holmes season 2 became a reality, the star stated, "If people like it, we’ll do more of it. There are more stories to tell." As well, in the interview, Spall's portrayal of Holmes will take the character to a place not visited before. The Death of Sherlock Holmes will follow the character as an amnesiac after he falls from Reichenbach Falls. When discussing the shift for the 139-year-old classic detective, the actor stated: "What makes it original is the fact that he’s someone who has no idea who he is. He gets these flashes of brilliant deduction that lead him toward understanding what kind of person he is, and eventually perhaps figuring out that he’s the most famous detective in the world. It’s a clean slate in a way. I didn’t feel like I was following in a long line of great actors who have played him in the past — Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jr. and all these amazing people. I would have been much more frightened if it had been one of the Conan Doyle novels, which is what Steven Moffat adapted. But the great characters in the modern Western canon are always ripe for interpretation. Hamlet gets done every year, and so does Sherlock Holmes, because they’re great pieces of work and great characters that can sustain different shapes and approaches." Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score. The Death of Sherlock Holmes is a six-part mystery series, and at the time of writing, it does not have an official release date but is said to be released in the first half of 2027. The story explores the "missing three years" between Sherlock Holmes' apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls and his dramatic return to London. The series stars Spall, Deleila Piasko, Thomas Kaschel, and Christian Koerner. The mystery series is created by Claudia Bluemhuber, André Küttel, and Pierre Monnard, with filming taking place across Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. Currently, Spall is filming Harry Potter season 2 as Lucius Malfoy and shared that "If people like it, I’ll be doing that for a long time." While there is no release date for The Death of Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter season 1 will be released on HBO Max on December 25.