Idris Elba returns in an exclusive new look at Luther: The Fallen Sun

Idris Elba’s badass detective John Luther has previously appeared in 20 TV episodes across five seasons, and now he’s finally getting his own movie. A film spin-off had been mooted for years, before Netflix made it a reality. And in the upcoming cover story of the new issue of Total Film, you can get the inside scoop on Luther: The Fallen Sun.

Hard-boiled DCI  Luther of the Serious and Serial Crime Unit is a role that’s earned Elba a Screen Actors Guild award and a Golden Globe. The series was created and written by Neil Cross, who’s also behind the screenplay of the upcoming film. Jamie Payne, who directed all four episodes of the fifth season, helms the film.

Luther started out on the BBC in 2010, as a brilliant detective with an estranged wife he was trying to woo back as he stalked the most depraved murderers the capital had to offer. One of those wily crims was Alice Morgan (played by Ruth Wilson), a sociopath who became Luther’s nemesis and then companion as his ex and work partners were murdered, and his world became morally murkier. By the end of 2019’s Series 5, Alice was dead after a lethal fall (or is she?) and Luther was in handcuffs.

The Fallen Sun picks up where the show left off, albeit reimagined for film. A serial killer plagues London, which leads Luther to break out of prison to take the law into his own hands. That killer is millionaire David Robey, a man tapping into zeitgeist fears of our tech spying on us and the potential of the dark web. Robey has tangled with Luther before and been ignored. Now he uses tech as surveillance, discovering secrets that enable him to manipulate others. The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes star Andy Serkis plays Robey.

Above and below, you can see exclusive new images from The Fallen Sun from the upcoming issue of Total Film, featuring a bloodied, bruised Elba back in action in his signature overcoat, plus below is a first look at Serkis’ Robey:

• Order a copy of the Luther: The Fallen Sun issue of Total Film here

Expect the edge and tone of the series you know, played out on a much bigger canvas. The film also stars Cynthia Erivo (Widows, the upcoming Wicked), and Dermot Crowley returns as DSU Martin Schenk.

Luther: The Fallen Sun premieres on Netflix in March 2023, and you can read much more about the film, including brand new interviews with Elba, Cross, Payne, Erivo and Serkis, in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which hits stores (and digital newsstands) from Thursday, January 12. Check out the covers below:

If you’re a fan, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You’ll get the magazine before it’s in shops, and you’ll get exclusive subscriber-only covers, and with our latest offer you can save up to 59% on the cover price. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts and Cs apply)