Idris Elba first played Luther on the British TV show of the same name, which ran for five seasons between 2010 and 2019. That might seem like a lot of TV to consume, but remember, these are British TV seasons. There’s only a grand total of 20 episodes, so you can devour them pretty quickly if you commit yourself to the task.
Following the show’s cliffhanger ending, the story continued in a 2023 Netflix original film, Luther: The Fallen Sun. In another life, I covered the red carpet for that movie and asked Andy Serkis about his favorite Diana Ross song… It makes sense if you’ve seen the movie.
Anyway, Luther: The Fallen Sun ended in a way that just begged for more stories to be told, and now, thanks to Deadline, we know that Luther’s story will continue. Netflix has commissioned a sequel to The Fallen Sun, with director Jamie Payne returning from The Fallen Sun, as well as series creator Neil Cross returning to write Luther’s next chapter.
Idris Elba will return as Luther, and the supporting cast will include series mainstays Dermot Crowley and Ruth Wilson, the latter of whom is of particular note since she did not appear in The Fallen Sun. There’s no word yet as to whether Cynthia Erivo, who joined the franchise with The Fallen Sun, will continue into the sequel. We also don’t know who will be cast as the villain. The story will see Luther return to London to investigate a series of murders, but he’s something of a wanted man, so he’ll have to investigate without getting arrested himself.
People have been wondering for years if Idris Elba might be the next James Bond, but I’d say he doesn’t need 007, since he’s already Luther. That would be like if they cast an actor who played The Saint as Bond! Joking aside, Idris Elba is 53, and while he’s still a handsome fella, he might be a little too old to begin playing Bond. Ageism strikes again. But then again, he doesn’t need to be Bond, since he’s already Luther, and Luther rocks!
The upcoming Luther film doesn’t have a proper title yet, and is scheduled to begin production in early 2026.
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