Sherlock production has been curiously quiet since the initial announcement last month, with nary a sighting of Benedict Cumberbatch or Martin Freeman, though it seems the game is finally once again afoot. Captain America baddie Toby Jones has officially been announced as a new Season 4 villain, deepening the great Moriarty mystery.

Of course, even as The BBC confirms Jones will star in the second episode of Sherlock Season 4 (in which Moriarty is still apparently dead), all involved are keeping mum as to which, if any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary characters the actor might represent. Says Steven Moffat on the matter:

Delighted to have Toby Jones on board, bringing to life one of Doyle’s finest villains.

Okay, great! What about you, Toby?

I’m excited and intrigued by the character I shall be playing in Sherlock…

Uh … sure. Anyway, its premiere sometime in 2017, with the first of three new feature-length episodes to be helmed by Doctor Who and The Flash director Rachel Talalay, so reads the first synopsis:

Sherlock will return to screens with three brand-new episodes promising laughter, tears, shocks, surprises and extraordinary cases…

Series four begins with the nation’s favourite detective, the mercurial Sherlock Holmes, back once more on British soil, as Doctor Watson and his wife, Mary, prepare for their biggest ever challenge - becoming parents for the first time.

When last we heard, showrunner Steven Moffat had plotted through a potential fifth season of the series, to say nothing of additional specials in the vein of The Abominable Bride. Along with the surprise resurrection of Season 3 finale “His Last Vow,” Moffat also specified that Sherlock Season 4 would likely see increased roles for the women of the series, particularly Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) and Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs).

In the meantime, we can see Sherlock and Watson hanging around the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Martin Freeman’s part in Captain America: Civil War, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, but stay tuned for the latest Sherlock Season 4 updates.

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