A 'Sherlock' Movie? Co-Creator Talks Possibility; Plus, Tom Hiddleston to Star in Season 4?

The Sherlock Christmas special, "The Abominable Bride," just aired last week and already fans are clamoring for more. The special episode, which aired in the U.K. and U.S. on the same day, also debuted in select theaters to surprising success. This is prompting many to ask, is a movie next? Co-creator Mark Gatiss says it's possible. Plus, could Tom Hiddleston be joining season 4 as a third Holmes brother?

Addressing the movie question Gatiss told the Daily Mirror, "Of course we could do a movie but it would have to be a story of sufficient scale to make that move, because they're already very big, very expensive and very movie-like. We don't want to just send the cast away on holiday."

Despite being a TV show, the series, which is made up of three 90-minute episodes per season, already performs much like a film on the small screen and the big screen alike. "The Abominable Bride" had some big successes in the worldwide box office: it beat Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Korea and raised $5.39 million in its first day of release in China.

And whether a film version ever happens or not, Gatiss is quick to point out that season 4 is well on its way.

"We're doing three more episodes of Sherlock next spring, then we'll see. Obviously Benedict [Cumberbatch] and Martin [Freeman] are both hugely successful film stars, but they're both very keen to do more."

Not much is known about season 4, but rumors have been circulating since the end of season 3 aired in 2014 that a third brother in the Holmes family may exist, which caused many fans to spiral into quite a tizzy.

The buzz stems from a quote in the season 3 finale, "His Last Vow," when Mycroft Holmes says to brother Sherlock, "I'm not given to outbursts of brotherly compassion. You know what happened to the other one."

Of course, this implies another brother, or it could possibly have been a joke.

Co-creator Steven Moffat, when asked if the brother would appear in future seasons, only teased, "wait and see!"

Rumors have swirled since that a third brother (note: there is no third brother in the actual Sherlock Holmes canon) would indeed appear, and that he would be played by none other than Thor actor Tom Hiddleston.

The rumors so far have not been substantiated, but fans of the theory posit that Hiddleston and Cumberbatch are friends, and Sherlock is known for incorporating family and friends of its stars (Martin Freeman's wife plays his onscreen wife Mary, Sherlock's parents are Cumberbatch's real parents, etc).

With shooting set to begin in April, hopefully some leaked set images will clear things up soon.