Posted exactly a week ago, on the Luther Facebook page, was a promise that a "VERY SPECIAL" message for fans was coming this week. Naturally, I've been watching the page closely, waiting for whatever the message was going to be. Obviously, I figured it would be related to Luther in some way, but wasn't entirely sure what.
Although, I immediately thought that we'd maybe get some kind of a teaser with footage already shot for a new season, or maybe some news about the feature film adaptation Idris Elba and series creator Neil Cross have been talking about for a year now. It seemed possible, given that Alex Cross opens today; I thought to myself, wouldn't it be quite a bold statement for Idris to officially announce that a feature film adaptation of Luther was coming, on the same day that Tyler Perry's Alex Cross movie was opening, given that Idris was first attached to star in Alex Cross before Tyler jumped in?
Alas, that's not what the "VERY SPECIAL" message is.
A quick recap before the tease…
In our last post on Luther, Neil Cross said that we shouldn't expect the Alice Morgan storyline to return in any sort of significant way when the series resumes. Idris said that she'll still be in the Luther universe, but suggests she won't be of much influence on anything or anyone; he reiterated that they're trying to set things up for the "bigger picture" and there's a possibility that Alice's story strands will come back, if/when the Luther feature film is made. But don't expect to see much of her in season 3.
That little detail there was met with some sadness among fans of the series, who'd grown to love Alice and her deliciously maniacal ways, almost as Idris' Moriarity, we could say.
But Cross later revealed that Alice just might be getting her very own spin-off project.
Specifically, Cross said he was in talks with the BBC to create a spin-off for the infamous character played wonderfully by actress Ruth Wilson.
Alice, who was a prominently featured in season one of Luther, apparently had to be faded out in the follow-up season because of reported scheduling conflicts, given that she'd been cast in a number of feature films that demanded her presence, like the upcoming Anna Karenina.
And as for whether Luther might occassional find himself in Alice's spin-off series, Cross said, "I think the first one would probably be a Luther-free zone, because their stories have diverged to a large extent, but there would be nothing to suggest they couldn't come together again — either by this vehicle or a 'Luther' movie."
And finally, I was happy to read Cross suggest that the Luther feature film was pretty much as close to a sure-thing as you can get, stating, "We've got lots and lots of movie interest, and Idris and I (are being) very careful about what kind of movie we choose to do."
Elba added that the upcoming season 3 of the series, the end of it specifically (which will likely be the last of the series on TV), will essentially serve as a lead-in to the feature film; so I anticipate some kind of major season 3 cliffhanger finale, which will entice audiences to see what's on the other side of that cliffhanger when the film is eventually produced and released.
And as for what we can expect in season 3, Elba has said we should expect 2 or 3 new characters to be introduced, including a bad guy/gal that will be a real huge challenge for Luther (he kind of dismisses the previous Luther baddies as blips, suggesting that this new baddie, to be introduced in season 3, will be his most formidable to date.
And while we still don't have a date as to when season 3 will debut, Elba has also said that they aim to produce all the episodes this year, so that the series is back on TV as soon as possible (some time in 2013 I'd guess); he's shot 2 features this year, in which he stars: No Good Deed for Will Packer and the Nelson Mandela biopic with Naomie Harris; there's also Thor 2, which Idris will return for, as Heimdall.
An interesting item he added in a previous interview is that, going into season 3, Luther will be closer to retirement than he’s ever been – a storyline that could bleed into the feature film's narrative; I can see it; Luther's last case – a case for the ages – before he hangs up the hat; or maybe it's the challenge of the case, and the baddie in season 3 that pushes him over the edge, and essentially forces him into retirement.
Alright! Now that you're all caught up, here's the somewhat anti-climactic "VERY SPECIAL" message that was posted on Luther's Facebook page this morning.
