Believe it or not, there were once plans for an American remake of Luther that had the wildly different trio of Marlon Wayans, Rosario Dawson and Mahershala Ali all linked to the title role. Luckily, it never came together, because the original series is one of the 21st Century’s greatest small screen crime dramas, and still stands out as arguably the defining role of Idris Elba’s career.
The acclaimed BBC smash hit may have only spanned 20 episodes split over five seasons, but the titular dogged detective has become an icon of the modern procedural. Elba would scoop a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for the second run, and the fifth and final season was the only time he wasn’t nominated in the same category for his performance.
Luther might be as good as done on television, but talk of a feature film has never strayed too far from the conversation. Elba revealed last summer that it was still very much on the table, sentiments that were echoed by creator Neil Cross not long after. And now, in a recent interview, the leading man once again reiterated his desire to bring the gritty world of the show to theaters, confirming that the project remains in development.
“I’m super excited and hope the fans are sort of excited for that. It’s been a long time coming for a movie, so I’m excited about that.”
Of course, the longer we keep hearing all of the key talent repeating themselves without any forward movement getting made, the less likely a Luther movie will become. Obviously, the Coronavirus pandemic would have had a huge impact on the creative process, but with a built-in fanbase eager for more adventures, not to mention the desire of both the star and creator to see it happen, the official green light can’t be too far away.