The criminals and thugs of London better watch out because Luther is back. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix – with help from the BBC – is developing a Luther movie, with Idris Elba set to reprise his role as the titular detective. Elba wasn’t the only cast member announced, though, he’ll be joined by Venom 2 director Andy Serkis as well as Widows star Cynthia Erivo.
The movie will be a continuation of the popular Luther TV series and will see the gruff detective in a rumpled coat face a “double threat” of Serkis and Erivo. Interestingly while THR outright calls Serkis the thriller movie’s “criminal villain”, they describe Erivo as Luther’s “nemesis”.
We’re not entirely sure what this means but it sounds like Erivo’s character is the film’s true antagonist. Perhaps she’s a bent copper from Luther’s past, or maybe even someone who just wants the maverick cop to play by the rules. Presumably, the movie will pick up where the fifth series ended with Luther being arrested after the death of his arch-foe Alice.
The movie’s set to start shooting in November using a script from the show’s creator Neil Cross. Meanwhile, The Alienist’s Jamie Payne, who also directed the last season of Luther will be in the director’s chair.
While promoting his new show The Mosquito Coast he told The Radio Times that the Luther movie will be “bigger and better” than the original TV series, as it can tell the story on “a wider canvas.” That said Cross also said that he wouldn’t rule out doing another series either.
“I think the thing with Luther is never to rule out anything. All we’ve ever wanted to do is, within the parameters that we’re given, make the best possible show,” he said. “What we’ve been able to do [with the movie] – having delivered every episode of Luther on budgets which are comically small – is to have a wider canvas and a bigger budget to tell the kind of stories that we’ve always wanted to be able to tell. And we’ve really been given the opportunity – while staying entirely true. I mean, Idris and I have shared this character for more than 10 years. And the key aspect of this whole conversation is primarily, how do we stay true to Luther?”
All of Luther is available on the streaming service BBC iPlayer now.