Luther: The Fallen Sun Release Date, Cast, And More

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Detective dramas are a dime a dozen, but the BBC series "Luther" was possibly the most intense and sometimes shocking police procedural of all time. The series mixed high-intensity thriller stakes with a deeply dramatic detective story, following Idris Elba's character John Luther as he tried to reconcile the daily horrors he witnesses on the streets of London with his idea of justice. 

When "Luther" began in 2010, Elba was already a rising star with roles like Stringer Bell on the hit series "The Wire," but in the 12 years since, he's become a global superstar. Thankfully, the talented performer has another round as the tortured detective Luther in him, as the detective's first film, "Luther: The Fallen Sun," is set to debut next year. 

Last time fans saw John Luther, he was having a pretty rough time. In fact, he was about as low as someone in law enforcement can be: in prison! The movie will pick up where the fifth season of the series left off, and it will feature a Luther affected by the rigors of prison life. It's been four years since fans have seen their favorite damaged detective, but the time apart has only made our hearts grow fonder.

"Luther: The Fallen Sun" will premiere on Netflix worldwide in March 2023. As of right now there seem to be no plans for a theatrical release, but Netflix occasionally does theatrical releases for its original films, so it's possible one could appear if the fan hype warrants it. (I, for one, would love to see Luther fight the baddies on the big screen!)

At the end of "Luther" season 5, Luther was arrested by fellow officer Schenk (Dermot Crowley) and sent to prison. Luther has never exactly been a conventional copper, and his tendency to handle things with violence finally landed him behind bars with the same criminals he hunts. Elba told Entertainment Weekly that the film will start with the troubled detective trying to figure out what to do next:

"He's done so much to bend the law in order to catch the bad guys that he's ended up in jail. So that's where we start the story. He's contemplating what he's going to do with his life. [...] Luther is just so haunted — that's his whole thing. Even when he's a free man, he can't help but chase it, chase the ghosts that get into his head. And I think that's what drives him in this film. He's just very haunted by things he's done, things he could have done, people that have died."

While there is a lot of backstory in the five seasons of "Luther," both Elba and the film's director, Jamie Payne, feel that audiences new to the franchise will be able to follow and enjoy the movie as well. Though there is a deep well of lore for "Luther" and its many characters, it's also fairly simplistic. All you really need to understand is that Luther is an antihero, a tragic protagonist who is both deeply charismatic and truly troubled. The film will kick off with an unsolved case from Luther's past creeping back to life, bringing all kinds of new problems to the detective's doorstep.

"Luther: The Fallen Sun" will reunite Elba with series director Jamie Payne and series co-creator and writer Neil Cross. 

So far the only cast announced are Elba and two new villainous characters, played by Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis, while Crowley will reprise the role of Shenk. But there are other regular "Luther" characters that could possibly show up as well. Even characters who are dead, like Indira Varma's Zoe, could potentially appear in flashbacks as Luther assesses his life, so nothing is totally off the table.

Here's the official synopsis for "Luther: The Fallen Sun" from Netflix:

In Luther: The Fallen Sun — an epic continuation of the award-winning television saga reimagined for film — a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.