Luther – Picture: BBC
Good news for Luther fans – the movie is on the way and it looks like Netflix could be involved but in what capacity is yet to be fully known. Here’s what we know so far about the new Idris Elba movie.
Long rumored for a movie, Luther is due to begin filming in September 2021 (September 13th according to our sources) after finally being confirmed by Variety back in May 2021. We’ll come back to this Variety article in just a second.
For those unaware, Luther is a series that was produced by the BBC which stars Elba as a detective chief investigator known as John Luther.
The show became a worldwide hit thanks in part to the rising popularity of Idris Elba who has since gone onto appear in the Fast & Furious franchise and two Netflix projects in the form of Beasts of No Nation and the canceled after one season, Turn Up Charlie.
The movie picks up after the events of season 5 and is dubbed to be a “Jason Bourne/James Bond” type film.
Is Luther a full Netflix Original movie?
This is where we don’t quite know where Netflix’s involvement starts and where it finishes.
Multiple production listings we’ve seen lists Netflix as the distributor for the movie. Going back to the Variety article, they state that the film “is currently set up as a 20th Century Fox Television, BBC Worldwide Productions and Chernin Entertainment production, with Elba, Peter Chernin, Julie Gardner, Katherine Pope and Jane Tranter on board as executive producers.”
This doesn’t list Netflix’s involvement but newer sources says they are. The link here could be Chernin Entertainment who previously had an output deal with 20th Century Fox Television and has since shifted to Netflix in April 2020.
Luther – Picture: BBC
The BBC is also involved with the project which could suggest to us that this is a complex co-production but Fox has pulled out and Netflix has come in to pick up the pieces.
What this could result in is the BBC airing or releasing the movie theatrically in the UK (maybe other regions too) and Netflix coming on board as the international distributor.
That’s all speculation right now but it’s all worth laying out.
Netflix responded to our request on this story with no comment.
Netflix No Longer Carries The Luther Series
Luther fans around the world haven’t been able to watch the main series for quite some time.
Luther season 5 never actually came to Netflix in the US. Instead, the series was available from October 2015 before it eventually left in April 2019. It’s available on a wide range of streaming services in the US right now including HBO Max, Hulu, Starz, Britbox, and others.
Similarly, the series departed Netflix UK in July 2020.
What else we know about the Luther movie
We can reveal that Dermot Crowley is due to return to the movie as Luther’s former boss.
We also know that the villain of the movie is going to be called David Robey and among the names considered for the role is Cillian Murphy. Elsewhere, Luther is due to get a new partner called Odette Raine.
GiantFreakinRobot has also reported that Netflix is involved with the Luther movie even going as far to say it’s a Netflix movie.
That’s all we have, for now. We’ll keep you posted!