Netflix Reveals the 'Luther' Movie Official Title

Luther originally debuted over a decade ago in 2010, though the first season didn't cross the pond until the following year on BBC America. Since then, the follow-up seasons have been sporadic. The series was enough of a hit for Idris Elba as the titular John Luther in its first outing to get a Season 2 right away; Season 3, which initially offed costar Ruth Wilson's Alice Morgan, arrived in 2013. Season 4, a two-part special, debuted two years later in 2015; it took another four years until a proper Season 5, where Wilson returned for a final round. It's taken another four years for Elba to return to his Luther coat, but Netflix has confirmed that the former DCI will return in 2023.

The new installment marks the character's first move into feature film territory and its transfer to Netflix from the AMC Networks-owned BBC America. Considering how much easier it is to film movies (a six-week shoot) than TV series (which runs for months), that's probably how future Luther stories will be told, should this one be a success. For this first outing, the film is subtitled Luther: The Fallen Sun, which might explain why there are ten tons of snow and John Luther without a proper coat.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Elba revealed that the new twist for Luther's return is that the detective, who has been skirting the letter of the law for some time now, finally ended up in prison. "He's done so much to bend the law in order to catch the bad guys that he's ended up in jail," Elba explained. "Luther is just so haunted — Even when he's a free man, he can't help but chase it, chase the ghosts that get into his head... He's just very haunted by things he's done, things he could have done, people that have died."

But fans don't need to worry if they tuned out and missed a few seasons. The film picks up post-Morgan's death and Luther's arrest; the details are enough that anyone picking up the show for the first time can follow along. However, the film will include references to the original show for those who have been watching all along. "This old case that he did work on that didn't really ever get solved or put to bed creeps up back into his life," explains Elba. "And John just can't help but find a way to get involved and get him — he just can't help it."

The other first-look photo thankfully puts Luther back in London, where his outfit is more appropriate for the weather.

Here's the movie's official synopsis:

In Luther: The Fallen Sun — an epic continuation of the award-winning television saga reimagined for film —  a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary. 

The cast consists of Idris Elba (The Wire) as DCI John Luther, with Dermot Crowley (Father Figure) returning as his former boss, DSI Martin Schenk, the only character who survived the original TV series. Andy Serkis (Andor) plays this season's unnamed serial killer, while Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) plays Luther's replacement on the force who is determined to keep him behind bars. The film was written by Neil Cross (The Mosquito Coast), the series' original creator, and executive produced by Cross and Elba, along with Netflix. The new Luther movie was helmed by director Jamie Payne (The Hour).

Luther: The Fallen Sun will premiere on Netflix in March 2023. All five seasons of the Luther TV series are streaming on Hulu.