Nearly four years after last appearing as John Luther - and 13 years after the character first graced our screens, Idris Elba is returning as the excellent, but complicated detective in a film titled 'Luther: The Fallen Sun'.
This is everything you need to know about Luther: The Fallen Sun movie, including when it came out, what it's about, what you should watch before and how you can watch it.
Luther: The Fallen Sun release date
- Selected theatre/cinema release: 24 February 2023
- Netflix release: 10 March 2023
Luther: The Fallen Sun movie came out in selected theatres on 24 February 2023.
It was then released on Netflix on 10 March 2023, meaning you can watch it now. This was confirmed by Idris Elba on Instagram. Production began in November 2021 so the film had been on the cards for a while.
Luther: The Fallen Sun trailer
In February 2023 we finally got a first look at a trailer for The Fallen Sun, and it looks like exactly the higher-budget upgrade for Luther that we were hoping for.
There are plenty of looks at Andy Serkis' nefarious villain, and it would also seem that Luther will be leaving London to travel to a few other locations including at least one that's wrapped in snow.
How to watch Luther: The Fallen Sun
Luther: The Fallen Sun arrived in cinemas first, but unlike the likes of Top Gun: Maverick, it was only exclusive to the theatres for 14 days.
As mentioned above, the film landed on Netflix on 10 March 2023, meaning you'll be needing a Netflix subscription to watch it, but also that you can now stream it.
The five seasons of the Luther TV series, which the film is based on, initially aired on the BBC but Netflix has taken on the film.
What is Luther: The Fallen Sun about?
According to Idris Elba, Luther: The Fall Sun movie is a "big-scale version of the TV show". It's said to be a dark thriller - as the TV series was - and he said Luther fans will love it, as will new fans.
JustWatch published the synopsis for the movie as: "A gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther 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."
Luther: The Fallen Sun cast
Luther: The Fallen Sun has been written by Neil Cross and directed by Jamie Payne.
The following actors and actresses have been confirmed for Luther: The Fallen Sun movie:
- Idris Elba as John Luther
- Dermot Crowley as DSU Martin Schenk
- Peter Theobalds as DC Williams
- Lauryn Ajufo as Anya
- Einar Kuusk as Arkady Kachimov
- Natasha Patel as Lydia Deng
- Andy Apollo as Barman
- Cain Aiden as Gamer on live stream
- Callum Chiplin as Rescue Worker
- Daniel Eghan as Forensic Officer
- James Travis as Prisoner
- Nikki Athan
- Cynthia Erivo
- Andy Serkis
- Jess Liaudin
What to watch before Luther: The Fallen Sun movie
Luther: The Fallen Sun movie is based on the BBC television series Luther, which first appeared in 2010. There were five seasons of the crime series, with a total of 20 episodes. The finale for season 5 of Luther aired on 4 January 2019.
Idris Elba said you don't need to have watched the previous seasons of the TV show Luther in order to enjoy the upcoming film, though we suspect it won't do any harm to have watched them in order to get a proper feel for his complicated character.
If you do fancy catching up on the five seasons of Luther before the movie comes out, you can watch all 20 episodes on BBC iPlayer.