Idris Elba is reprising his iconic role as DCI John Luther for a new Netflix film that will also star Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo.
Netflix announced the news on Tuesday, revealing the first batch of cast members reporting for duty on the Luther feature film penned by series creator Neil Cross. Elba will appear alongside franchise newcomers Serkis, star of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies, and Erivo, who is coming off of starring as Aretha Franklin in S3 of Nat Geo's Genius.
🚨 LUTHER NEWS 🚨
Idris Elba will reprise his iconic role — joined by Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis — in a new feature film written by series creator Neil Cross. pic.twitter.com/o47koIIFRx
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) September 14, 2021
The Hollywood Reporter decided to crack open the dossier on the newly-announced Luther film and discovered that Jamie Payne, who directed the fifth season of the acclaimed crime series, is on board to helm the drama's first feature-length outing, which is being made by Netflix in association with the BBC and begins shooting in November.
According to the trade, the upcoming film will act as a "continuation of the Luther saga" with Elba's titular character back in business donning his proverbial detective hat once more as he comes up against a double threat. Erivo is playing a fellow detective, described as "Luther's nemesis," while Serkis is referred to as "the story's criminal villain."
Speculation surrounding a Luther film swirled for years prior to this announcement. It was previously reported that Elba had been tapped to star in a Luther prequel film that would trace the character's early career as a cop while his marriage to Zoe is still intact. However, that feature-length project failed to get off the ground.
This time, Elba is returning to star in and produce the Netflix movie with Luther series creator Neil Cross. Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready of Chernin Entertainment are also onboard to produce while Chernin's Dan Finlay is serving as executive producer, together with Kris Thykier, and BBC Studios' Priscilla Parish.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.