“Luther” is back!
Or perhaps we should say, Idris is back.
BBC America announced Wednesday that Idris Elba’s hit show will return in 2015 with two hour-long episodes.
British psychological crime drama “Luther” follows Detective Chief Inspector John Luther as he works for the Serious Crime Unit. The title character is dedicated to his work in an almost obsessive manner and is sometimes consumed by the darkness of the crimes that he comes across. The series ended in 2013 after only three seasons.
Emmy-nominated actor, Idris Elba, will once again take the screen as Detective John Luther, much to the elation of a legion of Black women.
The sexy Elba—a runner-up selection this year by People as “The Sexiest Man Alive”— was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for each consecutive season, winning at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. The program also garnered eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
With so much notoriety it seemed to be only a matter of time before the show was revived. Neil Cross, the creator of the original show, explained why he was reviving “Luther” in a statement.
“Ever since we said goodbye to John Luther on Southwark Bridge, there’s hardly been a minute when I didn’t wonder what happened next,” he said, according to the NY Daily News. “So I decided to find out. We’re putting the band back together; Luther is coming back where he belongs. Back to the BBC. Back to London. And back to work.”
The news of this miniseries comes one day after Fox announced plans to remake “Luther,” in an American version. Cross will be writing for the American series and while Elba will not be starring in the series, he will serve as executive producer—though there’s no word yet on who might take his place. That will be an anxiously awaited decision among African-American female fans of the original series.
This confirmation comes in lieu of the rumors that there was a “Luther” film in the works. In 2011, Elba fueled the film adaption rumors when he said, “That’s where the ultimate Luther story will unfold, is in the big silver screen — London as a huge backdrop and a very menacing, horrible character to play against.”
While this may not be the big screen production fans were hoping for, no one is complaining about having the British stud back on their televisions.
The British series will begin filming in London in March 2015, and will debut later in the year.
