According to co-creator Steven Moffat, Sherlock's upcoming fourth season may be its last — at least for several years.

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<em>Cumberbatch as Holmes in Season 4. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/15/next-series-of-sherlock-could-be-last-bbc-shows-creator-warns/" target="_blank">Image via The Telegraph</a>.</em>

With the international success of series stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Moffat was "amazed" BBC was able to secure a deal with the duo for Season 4, The Telegraph reports. While Moffat said he "would be moderately surprised" if Season 4 marked the end for Sherlock, he added "it absolutely could be."If Cumberbatch and Freeman were no longer able to do the series, presumably due to scheduling conflicts, Moffat believes they could pick it back up at some point in the future. "That’s why I think it’s unlikely that we’ve completely finished it," he said. "There would be nothing strange in stopping for a while. It could go on forever, coming back now and again."Moffat added both actors continue to do the show not for the money, but "because they want to."While little is known about the upcoming season, which is expected to air in early 2017, we do know Toby Jones (the voice of Dobby in the Harry Potter series) will play "one of [Sir Arthur Conan] Doyle’s finest villains in Season 4," according to The Telegraph . BBC also recently released an image from next season, featuring Cumberbatch as Holmes alongside a bloodhound.The most recent entry in the series was the one-off Victorian-era special Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @jdsirani