Enola Holmes 3 Officially Announced, Because Hollywood Has Learned Absolutely Nothing
Look, I get it. We’re all living in the cinematic equivalent of a gas station bathroom—gross, confusing, and we’re just trying to get out without touching anything. So when Netflix dropped the news that *Enola Holmes 3* is officially in development, my first thought wasn’t “oh, cool, more Millie Bobby Brown solving mysteries in a corset.” It was “oh great, another sequel nobody asked for that will somehow make a bajillion dollars while original ideas starve in the corner like a neglected Tamagotchi.”
Yes, folks. The streaming giant that has the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel has confirmed that the world’s most aggressively plucky teenage detective is coming back for a third round. According to the press release that landed in my inbox like a subpoena, production is slated to begin later this year, with Brown returning as the titular sleuth and—get this—Harry Bradbeer, the guy who directed the first two, is back in the director’s chair. Because why take risks when you can just microwave the same leftovers?
Let’s be real for a second. The first *Enola Holmes* was a pleasant surprise. It was 2020, we were all locked in our houses arguing about whether sourdough starter counted as a personality, and a charming, fourth-wall-breaking YA mystery felt like a warm hug from a stranger who definitely wasn't a serial killer. Brown was great. Henry Cavill’s Sherlock was basically a Victorian-era thirst trap with a deerstalker hat. It worked.
Then *Enola Holmes 2* came out in 2022, and it was... fine. It was the cinematic equivalent of a participation trophy. It had all the right ingredients: more girlboss energy, a convoluted mystery that made your brain feel like oatmeal, and a weirdly intense cameo from David Thewlis that felt like he wandered in from a completely different, much more interesting movie. But it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. It was just... there. Like a dry cracker at a party.
So naturally, Netflix’s response to “pretty good but not great” is to greenlight a third one. This is the same company that canceled *1899* after one season, *The OA* on a cliffhanger that still haunts my dreams, and *Mindhunter* because Fincher wanted to make movies about assassins instead. But *Enola Holmes 3*? Oh, that's a sure bet. That's the kind of safe, mid-tier content that gets the thumbs up from the algorithm gods.
And let’s talk about the plot rumors, because oh boy, are they something. Word on the street (read: shady corners of Twitter and a leaked casting call that looked like it was written on a napkin) is that this time, Enola is going up against a secret society of wealthy industrialists. Wow. Groundbreaking. A scrappy young woman taking on the patriarchy in Victorian England? Truly, no one has ever thought of that before. It’s giving “we read a Wikipedia article on the Luddites and thought that was deep.”
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But the real question is: are we actually excited about this, or are we just going to watch it because it’s there? Because let’s face it, that’s how most of us consume Netflix content now. It’s not about passion. It’s about inertia. You’re scrolling, you see *Enola Holmes 3* pop up, you think “sure, I guess,” and you put it on while you fold laundry. That’s the peak viewing experience in 2025. It’s the background noise of a dying culture.
And can we talk about the elephant in the room? Or rather, the elephant that’s been paid $20 million to be the main character? Millie Bobby Brown is now 21 years old. She’s married. She’s a full-blown adult. And she’s still playing a teenager who solves mysteries in a world where her biggest problems are corsets and clueless brothers. It’s giving “Olivia Rodrigo singing about drivers licenses at 26.” At some point, the suspension of disbelief just snaps. You can only pretend a grown woman is a plucky teen for so long before it starts to feel like a weird, expensive cosplay.
Also, can we talk about the pacing of these movies? The first one was a tight 2 hours. The second one stretched to 2 hours and 10 minutes. The third one is probably going to be a 3-hour epic where Enola solves a mystery about a missing shipment of tea while simultaneously dismantling the British class system, all while giving us a knowing wink every 30 seconds. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
But hey, maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe *Enola Holmes 3* will be the one that breaks the mold. Maybe they’ll introduce a compelling villain that isn’t just a cartoonishly evil rich guy. Maybe they’ll give Helena Bonham Carter’s character more than five minutes of screen time. Maybe they’ll finally explain why everyone in Victorian London speaks with a 21st-century American accent. A guy can dream.
But let’s be real: it’s going to be more of the same. More fourth-wall breaks. More “I’m a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a man... but also, here’s a handsome love interest who respects my boundaries.” More lazy historical references that feel like they were researched via Wikipedia at 2 AM. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a cozy blanket: comfortable, predictable, and ultimately, forgettable.
So, congratulations, Netflix. You’ve officially announced a movie that will be exactly what we expect, no more, no less. It will be the definition of mid. It will get a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, everyone will say “it’s fine,” and then we will all move on to the next piece of algorithmic content designed to keep us subscribed for one more month.
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Final Thoughts
Having watched the first two films navigate the tricky balance between period drama and modern sensibilities, I’d argue that the key to "Enola Holmes 3" isn't simply finding a bigger mystery, but deepening its emotional stakes. The franchise has thrived on Millie Bobby Brown's charismatic defiance, yet the real question is whether it can mature alongside its protagonist without losing the playful, fourth-wall-breaking spirit that made it distinctive. If the third installment can resist the urge to overstuff the plot with celebrity cameos and instead double down on the poignant tension between Enola’s independence and her need for connection, it might just evolve from a charming diversion into a genuinely resonant series.