Idris Elba has revealed that the Luther movie continues to move forward, with shooting expected to start this September. Elba has been discussing a movie adaptation of the BBC series Luther since 2020, but this is the first concrete piece of information we have about the project so far.
Speaking to Variety, Elba said producers are “very close to pulling the green light on production”, adding that “we [Luther’s cast and crew] go into production, fingers crossed, in September.” Even if Elba sounds confident about the upcoming shootings, the fact Luther has not yet been greenlit cast some doubts about the film ever leaving the drawing board.
Elba also says he’s really excited about making Luther into a film, an adaptation that’s “been a long time coming.” The U.K. series premiered its first season in 2010 to critical acclaim, with a public that only grew with subsequent seasons. However, since Season 5 premiered in 2019, Luther’s future is uncertain. BBC didn’t order a sixth season, and even if Elba says he would like to see his detective on film since 2018, it’s only recently that a movie adaptation has gained some traction.
Luther’s five seasons star Elba as DCI John Luther, a talented British detective tormented by the brutality of the crimes he solves, and incapable of separating his personal and professional lives. Even if Elba said, back in 2018, that “if there is a film, then it will be somehow connected to this [the fifth] season”, there’s no confirmation if the current movie adaptation will be somehow associated with the series.
The Luther film is currently a joint production of 20th Century Fox Television, BBC Worldwide Productions, and Chernin Entertainment. Peter Chernin, Julie Gardner, Katherine Pope, Jane Tranter, and Elba himself act as executive producers. As production on the Luther movie moves forward, expect to know all about it here at Collider.