Idris Elba Reveals Luther Movie Will Reward Longtime Fans, Make Sense to Newcomers

Last fall brought word from international actor Idris Elba that the Luther movie had finally started production, acting as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed drama series. Speaking in a new interview, Elba confirmed that filming on the movie wrapped up a few weeks ago. Though he was specific to note that he wasn’t offering spoilers he did say that the movie was a “grim shoot” and that it’s a rewarding experience for long-time viewers, also making itself accessible to newcomers that aren’t familiar with all the gritty details of the drama’s five seasons. Elba’s comments came while speaking on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, which you can find below. 

“If you watched the last season, it picks up after that. but for new audiences who haven’t seen it I think the film is, it’s a whole story, so even if you don’t know where Luther, who he is or what, anything about him, the film attempts to be whole for a new audience. We just finished filming like about three weeks ago. It was a grim shoot. Oh my gosh. It’s all fun and games as I’m reading the script. I’m like, “And then he does what? Oh wow this is incredible,” and then I’m actually doing it. I find myself freezing in some dark cave or something. No spoilers.”

It was previously reported that Elba would be joined in the Luther movie by Andy Serkis (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings) and Cynthia Erivo (Bad Times at the El Royale, Genius: Aretha). The news of their casting revealed that the pair would serve as  “double threat” to Elba’s titular character, describing Erivo as playing a fellow detective who would become “Luther’s nemesis.” Serkis on the other hand was dubbed “the story’s criminal villain,” marking a return to evil doing for the actor who played the Marvel baddie Ulysses Klaw in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther.  

Produced in coordination with the BBC and Netflix, who arguably boosted the show’s popularity in the US as its primary streaming home for many years, the movie’s script is written by the show’s creator Neil Cross and directed by Jaime Payne. The director previously helmed the fifth series of the show, directing other tv shows like Outlander, The Alienist, and Quantico, along the way as well.

Series creator Neil Cross penned the script for the feature film which has Jamie Payne set to step behind the camera as a director. No release plans have been confirmed for the Luther movie yet but with a late 2021 shooting start date, a 2022 premiere doesn’t seem that far off. All five seasons of the series are streaming on HBO Max right now but have previously appeared on Netflix, where they could return around the time the movie premieres.