Last fall brought word from international actor Idris Elba that the Luther film had finally begun production, starring as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed drama series. Speaking in a new interview, Elba confirmed that filming on the film ended a few weeks ago. Although he was specific to note that he was not offering spoilers, he said that the film was a “serious shoot” and that it is a rewarding experience for long-time audiences, as well as for those new. The gritty details of the play’s five seasons are also accessible to those who aren’t familiar with it. Elba’s remarks came while speaking on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, which you can watch below.
“If you’ve seen the last season, it escalates after that. But for new viewers who haven’t seen it, I think it’s the movie, it’s a whole story, even if you don’t know where Luthor is, Who she is or anything about her, the film tries to be complete for new audiences. We just finished filming like it was about three weeks ago. It was a serious shoot. Oh my god. It’s all fun and games because I I’m reading the script. I’m like, “And then what does he do? Oh wow this is unbelievable, “And then I’m actually doing it. I find myself freezing up in some dark cave or something. No spoilers.”
It was previously reported that Elba would be joined by Andy Serkis in the Luther film (War for the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings) and Cynthia Erivo (bad times at el royale, Talent: Aretha) news of their casting revealed that the pair would serve as a “double threat” to the titular character of Elba, with Erivo describing the role of a fellow detective who would become “Luther’s nemesis”. . Serkis, on the other hand, was dubbed the “criminal villain of the story”, marking the return of evil for the actor who played Marvel baddie Ulysses Claw in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther.
Produced in coordination with the BBC and Netflix, which arguably fueled the show’s popularity as its primary streaming home in the US for many years, the film’s screenplay is written by the show’s producer Neil Cross and directed by Jaime Payne. The director previously directed the fifth series of the show, as well as other TV shows such as Outlander, The Alienist and Quantico.
Series producer Neil Cross wrote the screenplay for the feature film, with Jamie Payne set to step behind the camera as a director. No release plans have yet been confirmed for the Luther film, but with a shooting start date of 2021, 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 may return around the time of the film’s premiere.