It’s been a while since we’ve heard any concrete updates surrounding the feature length Luther, which will see Idris Elba return as the dogged detective for one final go-round. The last official word came straight from the leading man himself, who reiterated back in February that the project was definitely happening.
Creator Neil Cross has also repeatedly confirmed that he’s not giving up on Luther until the movie happens, and a new rumor claims that it could be heading exclusively to Netflix. That’s about the extent of the details on offer, and looking at how slowly the film has been moving through development, it’s probably best to wait for the official announcement from either the streaming service, Elba or Cross before throwing on your long grey overcoat in celebration.
Then again, the BBC has a strong relationship with the platform, and it was the licensing deal between the two that turned Peaky Blinders into an international phenomenon, while the entirety of Luther is already part of the Netflix content library in many territories around the world.
The series may have only run for 20 episodes split across five seasons, but Luther is widely regarded as one of the best small screen crime stories of the last decade, with Elba nabbing a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for the second run of episodes, and the fifth and most recent run was the only time he wasn’t at least nominated in the same category. On plenty of levels, it makes a lot of sense for the Luther movie to exist as a co-production between the BBC and Netflix, so this is definitely one rumor worth keeping an eye on as it develops.