Netflix has released the first official trailer for Luther: The Fallen Sun, which once again stars Idris Elba as the titular character, Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.
Luther: The Fallen Sun picks up after the events of the BBC series with Elba's disgraced detective John Luther still behind bars and haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him. When a gruesome serial killer (played by The Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis) begins terrorizing London, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.
Luther began its run on the BBC, airing five seasons between 2010 and 2019. The psychological crime thriller series follows DCI John Luther, a genius yet impulsive homicide detective who works for the Serious Crime Unit (and later the Serious and Serial Unit) Despite his brilliant nature, Luther is also obsessive and possessed when it comes to his job, and his dedication pushes him to be consumed by the depravity of the crimes he investigates. Following the conclusion of the series, Elba expressed his desire to return to the role in a film, which was confirmed by Netflix in September 2021.
Luther: The Fallen Sun Is Getting a Limited Theatrical Run
In addition to releasing the first trailer, Netflix announced that Luther: The Fallen Sun would debut in theaters ahead of its streaming debut. The Fallen Sun, joining the likes of Dwayne Johnson's Red Notice and Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, will be available in select theaters for a limited time to help stir up interest in the film. Netflix recently used this marketing method with Glass Onion, which saw the murder mystery reportedly overperform at the box office during its one-week engagement.
Despite Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings admitting to Netflix leaving "lots" of money on the table by forgoing a wider theatrical release for Glass Onion, he maintained that Netflix is in the streaming business and not the theatrical business. "It's a promotional tactic like film festivals, and if it works well we will do more of it," Hastings said. "We are not trying to build a theatrical business, we are trying to break through the noise."
So far, Elba and Dermot Crowley are the only actors from the BBC series confirmed to be appearing in Luther: The Fallen Sun, with the latter reprising his role as DSU Martin Schenk, Luther's former superintendent. Serkis' homicidal villain is named David Robey and is a tech billionaire moonlighting as a serial killer who uses surveillance technology to manipulate and kill civilians. The rest of the film's cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Jess Liaudin, Lauryn Ajufo, Natasha Patel and Henry Hereford.
Luther: The Fallen Sun opens in select theaters on Feb. 24 ahead of its Netflix release on March 10.
Source: YouTube