At least they’re taking it seriously. Though fans of the terrific BBC crime drama Luther froze at news of a Fox remake, which will not star Idris Elba as the tormented DCI, they can take a slight sigh of relief now the network has opted to push the cast-contingent drama out of pilot season, hoping to find a star in less stressful weeks.
Fox only picked up a pilot of the redo with the condition that it approved of whatever leading man was chosen to fill Elba’s boots. Apparently, Marlon Wayans was briefly in consideration, though that’s no longer the case, which Luther fans are likely relieved about.
Now, the network will wait until pilot season, in which actors are swamped with offers to star in new series, is over to resume the hunt for a leading man. Given the exceptional amount of demand for diverse leads following the success of Empire and How to Get Away with Murder, it makes sense that Fox wouldn’t want to hound actors already beset by suitors on all sides.
Original creator Neil Cross is back writing and executive-producing the Luther remake, alongside Elba. Both are currently busy shooting a two-episode fourth season of Luther across the pond, so this remake is likely far from their top priority at the moment (and rightly so).
We’ll keep you posted as Fox locates an actor for the project sometime after the frenzy of pilot season.