Is Tom Hiddleston Playing Benedict Cumberbatch's Brother in 'Sherlock' Season 4?

Besides being two of Hollywood's favorite Brits and members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston are actually pretty good friends and even worked together on Steven Spielberg's War Horse and another collab might be happening: rumor has it the Loki and Doctor Strange actors could play brothers on Season 4 of Cumberbatch's Sherlock!

According to Unreality TV, there are growing reports that Hiddleston will be joining the cast of the hit (and sporadic) BBC series when it comes back to the small screen next year. If he were to appear, he'd be playing the role of Sherrinford, an older Holmes brother that sir Arthur Conan Doyle never wrote but has been used in subsequent novels by other authors.

Metro reports that Sherrinford may have already been mentioned in a past episode of Sherlock, too: in Season 3, Mycroft (Mark Gatiss, also one of the showrunners of the series) told Sherlock that he knew "what happened to the other one."

Recently, showrunner Gatiss has revealed he'd go to great lengths to get Hiddleston in the show, but the actor's busy schedule has made it tough so far. With Hiddleston playing Loki in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, plus shooting Kong: Skull Island and The Night Manager, it makes sense that it's complicated to have him in any new projects at all.

Still, Hiddleston could squeeze in an appearance for one episode.

via GIPHY

It'd make sense to have Hiddleston in the show, considering he's one of Cumberbatch's closest friends -- and he was reportedly the best man at his wedding.

Over the course of the seasons, Sherlock has come to be something of a family affair: Amanda Abbington, who plays John Watson's wife Mary in the show, is Martin Freeman's partner in real life. Also, actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, Cumberbatch's parents, played his character's mom and dad in the show.

The fourth season of Sherlock will premiere at some point of 2017.

via GIPHY