You might know him best as Stringer Bell in The Wire, Heimdall in the MCU’s Thor movies, or even Roland Deschain in The Dark Tower (bit of a misfire, that one). But for millions of fans Idris Elba will always be Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, the driven, angry AF cop who for five seasons across 10 years dealt with the worst crimes that London had to offer in his eponymous TV series.
Those fans will be ecstatic to know that he’s back, and this time in a full length feature. Luther: Fallen Sun is in cinemas now before debuting exclusively on Netflix on March 10.
The film finds our hero behind bars after the shocking events of 2019’s season five. However, when a sadistic serial killer and cyber-criminal he failed to capture back in the day (Andy Serkis) resurfaces and starts dropping bodies, Luther busts out prison determined to take down the murderer by any means necessary.
Crime novelist and Luther creator Neil Cross (Apple’s The Mosquito Coast) is on scripting duties, which bodes well, while veteran TV director Jamie Payne (Outlander, The Alienist) makes his theatrical feature debut. Cynthia Erivo (Widows, Harriet) co-stars as Odette Raine, the counter-intelligence operative tasked with running Luther to ground, while series regular Dermot Crowley makes a welcome return as DSU Martin Schenk, Luther’s former superior.
Since its inception in 2010, Luther has been one of the leading lights in British crime drama: a gritty, downbeat, but thoroughly engrossing procedural anchored by Elba’s magnetic turn as the workaholic copper. The Fallen Sun is said to be the character and series’ big finale, and judging by the trailer, the bigger budget and scope of a feature film has upped the spectacle without sacrificing the grim tone. For fans, this one is a no-brainer; everyone else has some catching up to do.
