Luther: The Fallen Sun - Release date, news and trailer for new Netflix film
The long-awaited Luther movie is finally here.
Four years since the conclusion of the hit BBC One series, Idris Elbra has returned as DCI Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun, which has now landed on Netflix following its theatrical run.
Following Luther's arrest at the end of season 5, Luther: The Fallen Sun sees the character stage a prison breakout to find a cyber-killer terrorising the streets of London.
Talking about his return to the role, Elba recently told Radio Times magazine: "That character is so well written. You could have Luther opening an envelope for 10 minutes and you’d still go, ‘Oh my God, what’s in the envelope?’ because he’s just that kind of character.
"It’s still exciting to me because we’re not talking about season 1 of Luther. It’s evolved and grown and we’ve got bigger and braver."
Read on for everything you need to know about the movie, including its release date and star-studded cast.
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Luther: The Fallen Sun release date - When is the movie coming to Netflix?
Luther: The Fallen Sun landed on Netflix from Friday 10th March 2023, meaning that fans can now watch the film from the comfort of their own homes.
The film became available in select cinemas from Friday 24th February for a limited release window.
Who stars in Luther: The Fallen Sun?
Two cast members from the Luther series who appear in the film are Elba as Luther himself, and Dermot Crowley as Martin Schenk.
When it comes to new additions, The Batman's Andy Serkis stars as the film’s villain David Robey, a tech billionaire who uses surveillance technology to manipulate and kill civilians, while Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) plays a rival detective and Luther’s nemesis, named Odette Raine.
Other members of the cast set to appear in Luther: The Fallen Sun are as follows:
- Idris Elba as John Luther
- Andy Serkis as David Robey
- Cynthia Erivo as Odette Raine
- Dermot Crowley as DSU Martin Schenk.
- Peter Theobalds as DC Williams
- Lauryn Ajufo as Anya
- Henry Hereford as Brian Lee
- Alexander Anderson as Ian Moore
- Einar Kuusk as Arkady Kachimov
- Natasha Patel as Lydia Deng
Luther: The Fallen Sun plot - What happens in the Netflix film?
An official synopsis released by Netflix reads as follows: "In Luther: The Fallen Sun — an epic continuation of the award-winning television saga reimagined for film — a gruesome serial killer is terrorising 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."
Meanwhile, Elba has recently given more hints about the film – and the future of the Luther franchise – in an interview with Total Film magazine.
He said: "It’s not a competition, but I reference Bond as a template for the type of film we’re going for. John is a leading character in a film that he’s the hero of. That’s the comparison I’m making. Some films do them well – Bond is one of them. But my ambition for it is to have that sort of scale, that reverence.
"I want people to be like: ‘Ooh! Luther, the first film? Wicked.’ And to continue that. And then maybe later down the line, when I’m too old, someone else will step in to play John."
Elba also said he and the team were "desperate to take Luther out of Luther-land, and put him in the big world" in the film and that "I think that’s a really important characteristic of scale and growth in our films."
He continued: "I mean, can you just imagine John in Colombia, or darkest Berlin where it’s really weird and underground? Luther could go to America if we want to do that. That, to me, is exciting. And taking the rules of Luther-land and transposing them to different environments is really exciting for us."
This certainly tracks with previous comments by Luther creator Neil Cross. In June 2021 he told RadioTimes.com that a film budget would allow the Luther universe to expand, while of course staying true to the spirit of the TV show.
“I think the thing with Luther is never to rule out anything,” he said. “All we’ve ever wanted to do is, within the parameters that we’re given, make the best possible show.
“What we’ve been able to do [with the movie] – having delivered every episode of Luther on budgets which are comically small – is to have a wider canvas and a bigger budget to tell the kind of stories that we we’ve always wanted to be able to tell. And we’ve really been given the opportunity – while staying entirely true.”
Luther: The Fallen Sun trailer
The streamer gave us a quick teaser trailer earlier this year, posted to its social channels alongside the release date announcement.
In the footage, Elba's character can be seen in the shadows, before his voiceover says: "Something's coming." Another voice then appears to say: "Do you see me now?"
A full trailer for the Netflix movie was released later.
Luther: Fallen Sun is in select cinemas now and will be available on Netflix from Friday 10th March. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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