The BBC's captivating crime drama Luther just finished up its third season run in the U.K., which left fans asking what might be next for the series.  The show's iconic star Idris Elba had made mention in the past of his hopes for a movie (perhaps instead of a fourth season) to wrap up the series, and word is that is now coming true.

Luther creator Neil Cross confirmed at the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday that he has written a prequel script for a movie that will bring back some of the favorite characters from the first season of the show.  But, since the events will be leading up to that first season, that means sadly there won't be any Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson).  Alice does however appear in the third season, which will run on consecutive nights on BBC America starting September 3rd.  Hit the jump for more on the prequel project without spoilers from the third season.

According to the Daily Mail (Warning: source link contains major season three spoilers), Cross confirmed that the movie will feature Luther's earlier days on the force, while still married to Zoe (Indira Varma).  His colleagues Ian Reed (Steven Mackintosh) and Justin Ripley (Warren Brown) will also feature, but no word yet on a return from Zoe's lover Mark North (Paul McGann), with whom Luther later teams up.

Cross went on to say that the final scene in the film will match the first scene of the TV series.  As noted earlier, that means that there won't be an appearance by fan-favorite Alice, who Luther meets in that first episode.  Cross did say however that Alice could get her own spin-off series:

"‘The BBC is very interested in the project,’ Cross told Variety magazine last year. ‘The truth is I absolutely adore Alice! We're kind of thinking very loosely of a mix between The Talented Mr Ripley and The Last Seduction.’"

A prequel film makes sense for Luther instead of another season, particularly given the way the third season ended (no spoilers)! Ultimately, it's always good to get more Luther and Idris Elba any way we can.  Let's just hope it's more successful than some other prequel movies to end a series … (Fire Walk With Me, anyone?) Chances are good though that Luther will be as dark, demanding and engrossing as ever.

Luther's third season will air on four consecutive nights on BBC America beginning September 3rd at 10 p.m.

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