Robert Downey Jr. will consider retirement if his upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie flops.

The actor is adamant that if his new detective movie doesn't do well as the box office on its release next month, he will think about winding down his film career because he will not be obligated to any sequels.

But Downey Jr. admits he might follow in the footsteps of rapper Jay-Z by announcing his retirement and then bouncing back months later with an exciting new project.

He tells Entertainment Weekly, "I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don't know, maybe a couple more times. It's something I'm so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay.

"If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years. But we'd like to go ahead and suggest the Jay-Z model wherein one announces his retirement, soaks in all the requisite fanfare, and then behaves like it never happened. It's really the best of both worlds."