SEATTLE — In "Luther: The Fallen Sun," Idris Elba plays a disgraced detective in London serving time, yet determined to find a serial killer.
Elba portrayed Detective Chief Inspector John Luther for 10 years on BBC.
This film is a continuation of the award-winning TV Series.
"This is one of those characters as an actor that you really go the whole spectrum. He's a delicate guy with sensitivities around his victims. He's also a ferocious guy when it comes to how he feels about perpetrators," explained Elba.
In "Luther: The Fallen Sun," the perpetrator is David Robey, played by Andy Serkis. He is a disturbing cyber psychopath who uses technology to entangle his victims.
It's a role he considered turning down because the script was so dark.
"In terms of the role itself, I really didn't want to do it, and then what drove me to it finally was the fact that it's the tip of the iceberg of the real monster, which is social media, the internet, the dark web, AI," Serkis said.
The creator of the series, Neil Cross, also wrote the script for the movie. He acknowledges the twisted nature of the serial killer character.
"It's never about what I would like to do to other people. It's always about what I'm scared other people might do to me," Cross said.
Luther is the kind of character who will do whatever it takes to catch the bad guys – even if it means bending the rules.
Elba said it's rewarding to see this series continue on as a movie.
"It's a dream come true. When we started this 10 years ago, we didn't know if it would get past season one. We got to season five," Elba said. "I think for new audiences, if you love a genre that has a dark element to it and a sort of feel-good how to catch him at the end, this is for you."