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Robert Downey Jr. really, REALLY wants you see Sherlock Holmes. In fact, based on an interview for the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, he may be banking his career on the film's performance.

Once on the precipice, drug-addicted and close to suicide, he has come a long way in recent years with his health and blockbuster resurgence. Commenting that he had "no set plans for the future," the multi-time Oscar-nominated actor has been aiming for a normal life, free from the hectic structurally-lacking lifestyle of a big-time Hollywood star. For Downey, Sherlock Holmes may be a career crossroad;  a failure may induce him to reassess his place in the industry and perhaps take some time away from the spotlight to focus on family. He seems to imply that this decision rests on the shoulders of Sherlock Holmes.

“I’m f—ing really good at what I do — and have been for a long time, so I don’t waver on that,” he says. “But here’s the thing: I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don’t know, maybe a couple more times. It’s something I’m so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.” Or not. Then again, he says with a weary smile, “If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years.”

Uh-oh. What will this mean for Iron Man's (assumed) role in mega Marvel movie crossover The Avengers or a potential third Iron Man film? The general understanding about Downey's status is that he is under a multi-picture deal. Marvel Studios seemed to make it an initiative to lock their stars into just that type of situation to avoid having their franchises bear the stigma of actor-swaps. We certainly should not take those comments to represent an absolute admission from Downey about abandoning the franchise. Nonetheless, it could be viewed as a glimpse into his state-of-mind. Sometimes these things give you a look into the unofficial state of the franchise. As some may recall, the general nonchalance displayed by the Spider-Man 3 cast during the array of press junket interviews would serve to foreshadow the disappointment that was generally felt with the film itself. 

Will Downey end up making the upcoming Guy Ritchie-directed adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective into a referendum on his career? Working against that notion is the fact that the film was promising enough to put its potential sequel into development. The film, at first glance, seem to be a rather pedestrian update in which a Holmes with modern sensibilities battles ninjas, clones, aliens, and cloned-ninja-aliens with bad techno music blaring in the background and Matrix-style camera shots. (Okay maybe that's a bit much.) However, Downey implies that it will actually adhere more faithfully to the original stories, which do make reference to Holmes' abilities in martial arts, boxing, and sword fighting. (We'll just take his word on that one.)

Could we conclude that Robert Downey Jr. is holding Marvel fanboys at gunpoint, forcing them to go see Sherlock Holmes..."or else?" We'll just say "yes" to make it sound more interesting. Kidding aside, in my opinion, his potential exit from the franchise (or acting for that matter) seems to be a premature conclusion to reach. Reading into these things is nonetheless part of the fun, plus it serves as a nice excuse for more Iron Man discussion until the Iron Man 2 trailer hits, possibly next month.

Until then, Sherlock Holmes hits theaters on Christmas Day. If you are an Iron Man fan, perhaps this is the extra incentive you'll need to give it a whirl.

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