One night. Three hours. Cannibalism. Luther is back! Regardless of what’s going on with that American TV remake for Fox, BBC America announced that Idris Elba is returning to his Golden Globe-winning role for a one-night special. Mark your calendars: the affair will commence on Thursday, December 17th, at 9 p.m. ET. Oh, and did I mention there will be a serial killer cannibal?
Here are some official plot details for the affair:
This time we find Luther on a leave of absence from the police force, laying low in a rundown cottage. A visit from colleagues, Detective Chief Inspector Theo Bloom (Darren Boyd, Veep, The World’s End) and Detective Sergeant Emma Lane (Rose Leslie, The Last Witch Hunter, Game of Thrones) brings a shocking piece of news that draws him back to London in search of the truth. At the same time, a gruesome cannibalistic serial killer has struck the city, eating body parts as he goes. With a trail of clues leading from one crime scene to the next, Detective Superintendent Unit Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley, Babel, Bleak House) and his team must work out the twisted logic that connects each victim. But this murdering mastermind is more than a match for Schenk’s police, outsmarting them at every step. It’s not long before Luther makes his triumphant return to the Bullpen, determined to capture the killer before another mutilated body joins the mounting pile. But he’s dogged at every turn by ghosts from his past. Isolated and volatile, it will take every fiber of Luther’s being to keep it together.
Sam Miller (No Good Deed) directs the special, which was written by Luther creator Neil Cross. Joining Elba and the previously mentioned actors are Laura Haddock as the mysterious woman from Luther’s past Megan Cantor, John Heffernan as the cannibal Steven Rose, Patrick Malahide as “old school gangster” George Cornelius, and Michael Smiley returning as Benny Silver.
In addition to the release date and special description, BBC America released the first photos, which you can peruse below.
