'Sherlock' Season 4 update, spoilers: Will Series 4 be the last chapter for Benedict Cumberbatch?

The much awaited Series 4 of BBC's hit crime detective TV series "Sherlock" will arrive this New Year 2017. The fans will see what's new in the lives of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his most trusted comrade John Watson (Martin Freeman). However, there are rumors that the upcoming new season of "Sherlock" might be the last.

There are rumors that "Sherlock" Series 4 may be the last chapter of the entire series. Supporting this possible scenario is the currently busy schedule of its lead actor, Cumberbatch, who has been busy in the past few months filming Marvel's "Doctor Strange." Cumberbatch is still expected to appear in the future Marvel films, so this will affect his availability in shooting future "Sherlock" seasons.

However, as reported by Game N Guide, it seems that Cumberbatch won't be leaving the show, although "Sherlock" is expected to enter an indefinite hiatus after the fourth season. The actor had an interview recently in GQ where he revealed that it may take some time for the fans to see a new chapter after next year's Series 4.

"It might be the end of an era. It feels like the end of an era, to be honest. It goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately. We never say never on the show. I'd love to revisit it, I'd love to keep revisiting it, I stand by that, but in the immediate future we all have things that we want to crack on with and we've made something very complete as it is, so I think we'll just wait and see. The idea of never playing him again is really galling," said Cumberbatch.

Meanwhile, Coming Soon reported that the classic characters from the previous "Sherlock" seasons, Jim Moriarty and Irene Alder, will make a surprising return in the upcoming Series 4. It is rumored that Moriarty, who appeared to have died in the Series 2 finale and hinted to survive in the Series 3 final episode, will have more evil schemes against Sherlock.