‘Sherlock’ Season 4 Releases New Photographs of Benedict Cumberbatch Looking Beardy as the Titular Sleuth; Cast, Crew Confirmed for San Diego Comic-Con

‘Sherlock’ season 4 revealed new photographs of lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch looking unusually beardy as the titular sleuth. Meanwhile, the show’s Comic-Con panel has been confirmed.

Photographs posted on Entertainment.ie offered the first look at Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in the incoming season of the British-American television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories. The images showed a usually clean-shaving Cumberbatch sporting some scruffy facial hair. The multi-awarded actor looked rather weary on the filming set.

It was revealed that the incoming season will find Sherlock back on home territory with Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) and his wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) adjusting to a life of first-time parenting.

The show’s co-creators, writers and executive producers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat revealed, "Sherlock series four - here we go again! Whatever else we do, wherever we all go, all roads lead back to Baker Street - and it always feels like coming home. Ghosts of the past are rising in the lives of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson bringing adventure, romance and terror in their wake. This is the story we’ve been telling from the beginning. A story about to reach its climax.”

Meanwhile, it was recently confirmed that the cast and crew of ‘Sherlock’ will be heading to the San Diego Comic Convention. According to Carter Matt, the show has confirmed its Comic-Con panel attended by Gatiss, Moffat, producer Sue Vertue, and actress Amanda Abbington.

A photograph of the four attendees was posted on the series’ official Twitter account last July 11 with the caption, “Our @Comic_Con panel will be in Hall H at 10am (PST) on Sunday July 24 and is hosted by @Hardwick. #SDCC #Sherlock”

It seems that Cumberbatch will not be able to make it to the panel, fueling more speculation that Marvel fans will not be seeing him on the ‘Doctor Strange’ panel as well.

‘Sherlock’ is a popular crime-drama television series created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective stories. It is set in present-day London and follows “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson as they solve various crimes around the area.

The series received critical acclaim and earned numerous awards including Emmys, BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe. Season 4 is expected to premiere on January 2017 on BBC One.