Claim: Robert Downey Jr. has portrayed the character Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows is a 2011 British-American period action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver , Lionel Wigram , Susan Downey and Dan Lin . It is the sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes , and likewise features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . The film 's screenplay was written by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney . Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Holmes and Watson , and were joined by Noomi Rapace as Simza , Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes and Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty . The film follows an original premise incorporating elements of Conan Doyle 's short stories `` The Final Problem '' and `` The Empty House '' . In the film , Holmes and Watson travel across Europe with a Gypsy adventuress to foil an intricate plot by their cunning nemesis , Professor Moriarty , to instigate a war .   Upon its release , the film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful , with a worldwide gross of over $ 545 million .