When Empire chatted to Neil Cross about his small screen adaptation of The Mosquito Coast last month, we couldn't help but sneak in a question about the cinematic future of Idris Elba-starring detective seriesLuther. Naturally, as befits someone ironbound to studio secrecy and children/pet endangering NDAs, Cross couldn't be specific, but mentioned exciting future developments. Two pieces of news have now crossed the radar, albeit unofficially, with Collider talking up Jamie Payne as the director of the film and Giant Freakin' Robot reporting that Netflix has the rights to make and screen the film.
Payne, of course, is a Loofah veteran, having handled season – sorry, series 5 – of the show, with that five-episode run appearing in 2019. His CV also includes a long list of shows, including Outlander, The Alienist, Doctor Who, The Hour and Call The Midwife, which we firmly expect will be a stylistic template for the Luther film. Or, you know, very much not.
Plot details have not yet been revealed, but expect there to be murders, Luther being grumpy, his coat being rumpled-y and colleagues/bosses who wonder whether he's gone too far this time.