Filming has wrapped up for the highly anticipated fourth season of "Sherlock," and though it seems as if this will be the last series, there may be more bad news to come as the season premieres.

Recent rumors are pointing to the possible death of the beloved detective when "Sherlock" season four arrives. According to the reports, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) may finally meet the end of the road, especially noting that this series is expected to play along the lines of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Dying Detective."

It was also previously confirmed that Toby Jones will be playing the role of Culverton Smith in the upcoming installment, which further adds to the speculations that fans may indeed see a dying detective very soon.

"The Dying Detective" tells the story of how a crafty and vengeful Smith tries to infect Sherlock with a rare infection that could slowly kill him. Smith is being accused by Sherlock of murder and the former will now execute the cruelest revenge by getting Sherlock down on his death bed.

Watson (Martin Freeman) is expected to do anything in his power to save the life of his dear friend but rumor has it that his efforts may be in vain. The rumors were further fired up when co-creator Mark Gatiss posted a cryptic message earlier this month on Twitter.

In the said post, a knife which appears to be that of Sherlock's, is pinned down to an envelope addressed to the detective himself. Gatiss also captioned the photo with the shocking words: "The Game is over... for now. #Sherlock."

Could this mean that Sherlock will die, only to return in the near future for "Sherlock" season five? This is possible but in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story, Sherlock won't really pass away. He will merely pretend to have been infected by Smith's amazing drug so he can get the latter to admit his crimes.

It is unclear if Gatiss and the development team will also apply the same arc in "Sherlock" season four but fans can expect a lot of thrilling and emotional moments when the show returns early next year.

"Sherlock" season four hits U.K. small screens on New Year's Day.