Looofahhhhhh! *Ahem* Er, sorry, force of habit when it comes to any piece of news pertaining to everybody's favourite no-rules, no-nonsense detective John Luther. And news we have, folks — wonderful, wonderful news. Per THR's reporting, Idris Elba is gearing up to play the crimson-tied copper once again in a new Luther movie heading for Netflix. And that's not all: Ruth Wilson — aka fan-favourite femme fatale Alice Morgan — is back alongside Dermot Crowley's superintendent Schenk for the latest instalment in the Neil Cross created crime saga.
Set to shoot in February 2026, the as-yet-untitled sequel to 2023's Luther: The Fallen Sun (itself spun off from the crime drama's five-season telly run) will see franchise stalwart Jamie Payne once again in the directorial hotseat, working from an original Cross script. And just in case you wondered if Luther was about to make a dramatic pivot to more lighthearted fare after tangling with Andy Serkis' murderous masked menace last time out, it is not: per the description shared by THR, "the new story sees a new wave of brutal, seemingly random murders hit London, with Luther secretly called back into service. But the dramatic question is, how can Luther save London when everyone on all sides seems to want him dead?" Ah, Luther (LOOFAHHH!), never change!
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"Neil has, yet again, created a wonderfully dark tale to bring us all back together,” said director Payne in a statement shared with THR. “It’s a true joy to be back on the streets of Lutherland with the supreme talents that are Idris Elba and Dermot Crowley. I am also thrilled to be reunited with the brilliant and dangerous Alice Morgan played by the extraordinarily talented Ruth Wilson.” Added creator Neil Cross, "Luther, Alice and Schenk are more than characters to me, they’re family. I never stop wondering where they are, what’s become of them … and what horrors might be stirring in the shadows of London while Luther’s not around. So we decided to get together and find out what happens next.”
We don't yet know when Luther, Alice, and Schenk's return will hit our screens, an occasion which will be celebrated by Lutherites (Lutherans?) who felt cheated by Ruth Wilson's absence from The Fallen Sun. But while we wait for the disgraced detective and his sociopathic serial killing arch-lover/enemy/ally/headache to be reunited, we can at least enjoy Wilson back in crime thriller territory as the star of Apple TV's currently airing Down Cemetery Road, and look forward to Elba back on fine rough-and-ready action hero form in the upcoming Hijack Season 2. Lovely stuff!