'Luther' Says Goodbye To Television, Is A Movie Adaptation On The Horizon?

Idris Elba’s time as TV detective John Luther is coming to a close, as the actor moves on to bigger and better things – this year, he has already starred in Pacific Rim and the upcoming biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and he also has a minor part in Thor: The Dark World. That’s a packed schedule already and Elba will carry it into 2014. Still, there’s always time for one more project. The creator of Luther, Neil Cross says that he would love to take the character to the big screen, with Elba reprising his role as Luther, of course.

The small screen is proving too small for Elba's talents.

"I've written the script and we hope to get the film made next year," he told the Edinburgh Television Festival (quote via the BBC). "Idris is a brilliant leading man and we've hoped to turn Luther into a movie for a long time,” Cross continued.

He might reprise the role in a feature.

So have the multitudes of Luther fans out there. We’re sure President Obama, who recently met Idris Elba and confessed his own fondness for the show, wouldn’t mind one last “hurrah” for the conflicted, but endlessly watchable character of John Luther. While he shied away from major spoilers, Chross did explain exactly what part of Luther’s life the upcoming film will focus on. He said: "It will follow his career in the earlier days, when he is still married to Zoe, and the final scene in the film is the first of the initial TV series."

Elba would like the movie to be made with loyal fans in mind.

The timeframe will offer a little bonus for longtime Luther fans, since it will allow Cross to insert characters who have died, disappeared or otherwise left the series in earlier seasons. And indeed, speaking on the prospect of starring in a Luther film, Idris Elba has expressed excitement. However, he has also insisted on the importance of preserving the TV canon for those loyal fans who have been keeping up with the series since the very beginning. A number of ideas are apparently being considered at this time, including bringing back fan favorite Ruth Wilson as the cold-blooded psychopath Alice Morgan. A release date is still pending.

Cross would also like to bring back Ruth Wilson.