Director Guy Ritchie is setting aside his DC Comics adaptation Lobo to direct the fast-tracked sequel to Sherlock Holmes, said producer Joel Silver to The Los Angeles Times.

Sherlock Holmes has raked in $389 million in worldwide box office since its Christmas Day opening. Robert Downey Jr. won a surprise Golden Globe, and he might be in play for an Oscar nomination next week.

Silver expects everyone to come back for Sherlock Holmes 2. "Downey loves the experience of playing Sherlock and would love to play him again, and I'd love to see him play it again. Jude and all of them will be back and it will be great."

For Lobo, Silver added that a new director will most likely be attached to the project, centers on the ultra-violent antihero from the pages of DC Comics.

"It was created as a rebuttal to the Marvel characters and his vest said 'Bite me fanboy,' " Silver pointed out. "It was very much a response to Wolverine and Punisher and the other characters and I think now that makes it fresh [for moviegoers]. We're working on it now and it will be nice to put it together and make it happen."

And what about that rumor that Brad Pitt would be in the Sherlock Holmes 2 as Professor Moriarty? Silver sounded less than optimistic about that one: "Well, I mean, we talked about that at one point, but you know as of right now we're not sure what we're going to do. We'll see what happens."