The BBC crime thriller series "Luther," in which Idris Elba starred as the obsessive but troubled detective John Luther, quickly became a hit that elevated Elba's profile around the world. (This is not a dismissal of the amazing Stringer Bell character on "The Wire." Many more people watched "Luther.") The show premiered in 2010, and while the fifth and final season aired back in 2019, creator Neil Cross has long suggested that a LUTHER movie could get made.
Now it's here! LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN is a follow-up to the series, but for new viewers it can stand as an introduction to the character as well. The first trailer is out now. Check out what LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN has in store for us all.
The Luther Movie Comes to Theatres in February
While the Luther movie is a Netflix title, it is playing in theatres for a short time, starting on February 24.
Watch the First Luther: The Fallen Sun Trailer
For years, Idris Elba has been mentioned as a top fan choice to play James Bond once Daniel Craig exits the role. So THE FALLEN SUN trailer is interesting because it has some very Bond-esque globetrotting or at least the suggestion of that sort of thing.
There's also a heavy HANNIBAL vibe here as Luther faces off with a charismatic serial killer, seemingly played by Andy Serkis. But more than anything else, this looks like "Luther," which is something fans can celebrate.
The Story in Luther: The Fallen Sun
The LUTHER movie is described as "an epic continuation of the award-winning television saga reimagined for film." Precisely how the series has been "reimagined" for a movie is not entirely clear.
What we do know is that "a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary."
As the trailer shows, that prison break isn't exactly a surprise to people who know Luther well, but that doesn't mean they're OK with his actions. So Luther is on the run from fellow cops even as he does the work he was born to do.
Will There Be More Luther Movies?
We hope so! In a recent interview with Esquire UK, Elba expressed the same hope.
Elba said that Luther is "probably the character that’s most like me, in real life." The appeal of the difficult detective is that "he has so much conviction. He doesn’t try to overcomplicate things. He gets to the point. I love the writing. It’s fun to play. Hopefully this is a series of movies expanding the John Luther stories, bigger canvas, more bandwidth to find out who he is, understand him a bit more."
LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN opens on February 24.
All images courtesy of Netflix.