Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or have somehow gotten this far in life not knowing the name Jessica Fletcher, ‘Murder She Wrote’ was a crime procedural drama series that kicked off on CBS in 1984.
It stars Lansbury as Fletcher, a seemingly mild-mannered crime writer who has a penchant for digging into mysteries of all kinds. Working and living primarily in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, she’s consistently underestimated by police and criminals and ends up solving many murders.
For the new movie, ‘Dumb Money’ duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo wrote the screenplay based on the series. Curtis will take on the role as Fletcher, and the tone may tend towards warmly comedic.
What else has Jason Moore directed?
In addition to helping launch the ‘Pitch Perfect’ franchise, Moore has also been behind the camera for movies including ‘Sisters’ and ‘Shotgun Wedding.’
He’s also directed the pilot and served as an executive producer on ‘Elle,’ the upcoming ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel TV series at Prime Video.
(L to R) Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, and director Jason Moore on the set of ‘Shotgun Wedding’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa.
(Left) Jamie Lee Curtis poses backstage with the Oscar® for Actress in a Supporting Role during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Right) Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
Preview:
Jamie Lee Curtis is circling the lead in the ‘Murder, She Wrote’ movie.
Universal is driving the new development.
If she signs, she’d take over the role made famous by Angela Lansbury on TV.
And bestriding the genre like a colossus spanning both sides is Rian Johnson, who continues to see success with his ‘Knives Out’ franchise, which stars Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc and TV’s ‘Poker Face,’ in which Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie Cole, who has the ability to know when people are lying and keeps stumbling into murder mystery situations.
Yet back in the day (by which we mean the 1980s), the 800lb gorilla of mystery on TV was ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ with Angela Lansbury starring.
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It’s a little surprising given the enduring popularity of the show (and the love for existing intellectual popularity to exploit), why it has taken this long for a movie to enter development. Yet the wheels got turning last year, when Universal began work on one, with Amy Pascal producing.
Now, according to Deadline, Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis is close to a deal to take the lead, though the site cautions that it’s not quite locked in yet.
What’s the story of ‘Murder She Wrote’?
Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or have somehow gotten this far in life not knowing the name Jessica Fletcher, ‘Murder She Wrote’ was a crime procedural drama series that kicked off on CBS in 1984.
It stars Lansbury as Fletcher, a seemingly mild-mannered crime writer who has a penchant for digging into mysteries of all kinds. Working and living primarily in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, she’s consistently underestimated by police and criminals and ends up solving many murders.
Her travels during the series –– which ran for 12 seasons –– have taken her all over the United States and abroad.
In that time, Lansbury was nominated for an Emmy every single year, and won various awards. She reprised the role in the four TV movies.
Lansbury said in the past that she’d have been open to making a comeback appearance, which would make for a fun cameo in any potential movie. But in a 2015 interview with Zap2It, she said it was no longer feasible:
“I think it would be a downer. In some way, we’d have to show her as a much older woman, and I think it’s better to maintain that picture we have in our mind’s eye of her as a vigorous person. I’m still pretty vigorous, especially in the garden, but if I wanted to transform myself back into the woman I looked like then, it would be ridiculous. And I can’t do that.”
It has since become even less feasible, as the acting legend died in 2022.
Producer Amy Pascal attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.
Amy Pascal is a former Sony chairperson who has become a powerful and influential producer via her Pascal Pictures company.
On the writing front, we have Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who got their start as reporters at the ‘Wall Street Journal’ and segued into dramatic writing on the staff of ‘Orange Is the New Black’.
They wrote last year’s GameStop share story movie ‘Dumb Money’ and have several scripts in development, including one about the GamerGate phenomenon which Pascal is also producing, and contributed writing to a new take on ‘The Wolf Man’ for Universal (though their script has since fallen by the wayside).
Where else can I see Jamie Lee Curtis?
Oscar® nominee Jamie Lee Curtis arrives on the red carpet of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Curtis is certainly enjoying a career renaissance between the return of the ‘Halloween’ franchise and particularly in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ which scored her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar last year.
She’s been winning further cinematic praise for her role in ‘The Last Showgirl,’ and on TV has been seen in the likes of ‘The Bear.’ Curtis is currently on screens in Prime Video maple syrup heist comedy drama ‘The Sticky.’
On the mystery front, she’s busy filming another Prime Video series, this one based on the Patricia Cornwell ‘Kay Scarpetta’ books, which also stars Nicole Kidman.
When will the ‘Murder She Wrote’ movie be on screens?
Universal has yet to announce anything resembling a release date for the movie –– that will likely have to wait until a director is attached and more deals are closed.
Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
By order of the Peaky Blinders… Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is back. Production officially starts on the upcoming Netflix film.
Preview:
The first images from the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie are online.
Cillian Murphy is aboard to star and produce.
Show creator Steven Knight wrote the script and Tom Harper will direct.
It has been quite the wait for ‘Peaky Blinders’ fans eagerly anticipating the movie based on the acclaimed crime drama.
The show aired its final season in 2022 and it wasn’t until this June that a spin-off movie was confirmed.
The wait –– at least for some activity on the film –– is finally over, and the cameras are now rolling on the Netflix-backed movie, which will see the return of Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, the head of a criminal family.
With show creator Steven Knight writing the script and Tom Harper (who has some experience on the show) directing, the first pictures –– featuring Murphy and Knight –– are now online.
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What’s the story of ‘Peaky Blinders’?
Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.
The series, which began life on Britain’s BBC Two in 2013, is a crime drama centered on a family of mixed Irish Traveler and Romani origins based in Birmingham, England, starting in 1919, several months after the end of World War I.
It’s named after the Peaky Blinders street gang and their ambitious, cunning crime boss Shelby. The show has since run for six seasons.
Netflix, spotting an opportunity to pick up a well-loved series, snagged the rights in 2014 and it has since gone on to win multiple awards.
In case you’re wondering, the “peaky blinders” referred to the gang’s sartorial efforts. distinctive fashion sense, including colorful clothing and peaked newsboy caps. At the time, “peaky” was a common term for flat caps with a peak, and “blinder” was a Birmingham slang term for someone who looked dapper. In less legal terms, they were also infamous for pulling the brims of their caps down when they attacked someone so as not to be recognized.
What will the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie be about?
Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.
When we last saw Tommy Shelby, he had killed off his cousin Michael (Finn Cole) and rode off into the sunset on a white steed after handing the reins of the family business to sister Ada (Sophie Rundle).
Nothing has been officially released about the movie’s plot yet, though Knight has previously suggested that it’ll chronicle the gang’s efforts during World War II.
Who is joining Cillian Murphy in the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie?
Rebecca Ferguson in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
The rest of the cast is yet to be announced, but there has been plenty of speculation that the likes of Rundle, Paul Anderson, Finn Cole, Natasha O’Keefe, and Harry Kirton, who play members of the Shelby family, could all show up.
(L to R) Cillian Murphy and Steven Knight are reunited on set as production officially starts on the upcoming Netflix film.
Here’s what Steven Knight said about the start of production:
“I’m thrilled to see the cameras rolling on this new chapter of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ story, set during World War II. The country is at war, and so, of course, are our Peaky Blinders.”
And this is director Tom Harper’s statement:
“There’s a great feeling of anticipation and excitement amongst our outstanding cast and crew. We’re grateful to the fans for getting us to this point and believe this next chapter is going to deliver something extraordinary.”
When will the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie be on screens?
Netflix has yet to confirm either a theatrical release or a launch date for the movie on its servers.
Cillian Murphy in ‘Peaky Blinders’. Photo: Netflix.
(L to R) Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
Preview:
‘The Avengers’ is returning to TV.
‘Industry’ writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay are behind the show.
The quirky spy series reboot has yet to find a broadcast home.
When you see word that something called ‘The Avengers’ is getting a reboot, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether Marvel is looking to re-invent itself and bringing in new versions of Tony Stark and co. While in this Multiverse-happy world that’s not out of the realms of possibility, this ‘Avengers’ is nothing to do with the MCU.
(L to R) Diana Rigg as Emma Peel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
The original series, which ran between 1961 and 1969 on ITV in the UK and was created by Sydney Newman. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants.
His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson).
A sequel series, ‘The New Avengers’, ran for one season between 1976 and 1977.
While it began as a more down-to-earth espionage series, it became increasingly fantastical, resembling something like the 1960s ‘Batman’ series or the BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’. In the US, it aired on ABC, one of a limited number of British shows to be picked up for primetime in the States.
A big success, it led to all manner of spin-offs, including comics, radio plays and more. It even became a movie, though the 1998 cinematic offering starring Ralph Fiennes as Steed and Uma Thurman was infamously a giant flop, failing to make back its $60 million budget and generating zero sequels.
(L to R) Ralph Fiennes as John Steed and Uma Thurman as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Who is working on the new ‘Avengers’?
(L to R) Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
The new series comes from writers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, who have impressed audiences via HBO series ‘Industry’. They’re working alongside ‘Sex Education’ veteran Ben Taylor, who serves as co-creator and will oversee the directing side.
Despite the two main writers’ connection to HBO, the cable channel hasn’t picked up the series, which is being produced by StudioCanal. There’s still a chance that Warner Bros. Discovery (which backs one of the companies involved in the new show) or even Netflix could snap this one up.
When will this new ‘Avengers’ be on screens?
That, right now, is impossible to judge as not only has the series not started shooting, but it has no broadcast home at this point. But given the recognizable title, we’d expect plenty of interest from networks and streamers.
(L to R) Diana Rigg as Emma Peel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed in ‘The Avengers.’ Photo: ABC Television.
Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
There are many examples of TV series making the jump to movie theaters. Some are updates years after the original show went off the air (apart from re-runs) such as ‘The A-Team’ or ‘Charlie’s Angels’.
Others were produced either while the show was still running or not long after, and continued the story with the series cast, including ‘The X-Files’ or ‘Sex and the City’.
‘Murder, She Wrote’, given that it last aired in 1996 (though four TV movies followed, the last released in 2003) falls squarely into the first category and not least because we sadly lost iconic star Angela Lansbury last year.
It’s almost surprising that no one has gotten this far into development on a ‘Murder’ movie given the show’s enduring popularity and cult appeal.
But Universal Pictures (which makes sense since Universal Television produced the show) now has a deal with producer Amy Pascal and Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who wrote upcoming based-on-truth comedy drama ‘Dumb Money’ to make it happen.
According to Above The Line, Blum and Angelo were hired to write the script before the WGA strike began, but obviously forward movement on that front is in limbo until the writers’ and actors’ strikes are resolved.
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What is ‘Murder She Wrote’?
Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or have somehow gotten this far in life not knowing the name Jessica Fletcher, ‘Murder She Wrote’ was a crime procedural drama series that kicked off on CBS in 1984.
It stars Lansbury as Fletcher, a seemingly mild-mannered crime writer who has a penchant for digging into mysteries of all kinds. Working and living primarily in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, she’s consistently underestimated by police and criminals and ends up solving many murders.
Her travels during the series –– which ran for 12 seasons –– have taken her all over the United States and abroad.
In that time, Lansbury was nominated for an Emmy every single year, and won various awards. She reprised the role in the four TV movies.
Lansbury has said in the past that she’d have been open to making a comeback appearance, which would make for a fun cameo in any potential movie. But in a 2015 interview with Zap2It, she said it was no longer feasible:
“I think it would be a downer. In some way, we’d have to show her as a much older woman, and I think it’s better to maintain that picture we have in our mind’s eye of her as a vigorous person. I’m still pretty vigorous, especially in the garden, but if I wanted to transform myself back into the woman I looked like then, it would be ridiculous. And I can’t do that.”
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Who is the team behind the new planned movie?
(L to R) Rebecca Angelo, Writer/Executive producer, and Lauren Schuker Blum, Writer/Executive producer, attend the gala screening of ‘Dumb Money’ at the Toronto International Film Festival. Copyright: Eric Charbonneau. Photo By Eric Charbonneau.
Amy Pascal is a former Sony chairperson who has become a powerful and influential producer via her Pascal Pictures company.
Schuker Blum and Angelo got their start as reporters at the ‘Wall Street Journal’ and segued into dramatic writing on the staff of ‘Orange Is the New Black’. They have several scripts in development, including one about the GamerGate phenomenon which Pascal is also producing, and a new take on ‘The Wolfman’ for Universal.
As for ‘Dumb Money’, which chronicles the GameStop short squeeze share affair from the POV of various people who were involved, that movie will be in theaters on limited release on September 22nd before going wide on September 29th.
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Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Opening in select theaters on February 24th and premiering on Netflix beginning March 10th is the film version of the popular British TV series ‘Luther,’ which is entitled ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ and was directed by Jamie Payne and written by series creator Neil Cross.
What Happened on the ‘Luther’ Series?
‘Luther’ is a series that ran for five seasons on the BBC and starred Idris Elba as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther of the Serious Crime Unit. Luther is a brilliant and dedicated police officer, who is also obsessive and sometimes violent. After being suspended for the way he apprehends a child murderer, Luther returns to the squad and soon investigates a psychopath named Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), who he thinks murdered her parents.
Over the next five seasons, Luther and Alice play a cat and mouse game where she often helps the detective, not unlike Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling in ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’ Along the way, Luther’s obsession with catching criminals is tested by the trail of death left in his wake that has included his wife Zoe (Indira Varma), his partner Justin Ripley (Warren Brown), and colleague Benny (Michael Smiley). Season five ended with the murder of his new partner Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) in cold blood by Alice, and Luther being arrested for the crime after Alice’s supposed death.
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Is ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ a Sequel and What is the Plot?
Yes, ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ is a sequel to the series and picks up after the events of season five, where Luther has been apparently cleared of Halliday’s murder. Luther’s superintendent, Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley), assigns him to the case of a gruesome serial killer named David Robey (Andy Serkis). The killer is using private cyber information to blackmail victims into committing crimes for him.
Robey soon realizes that Luther is a threat to his overall plans, and frames the detective for his past questionable behavior, sending him to prison so Robey can continue his despicable work. But when Robey begins taunting Luther behind bars, Luther plans an elaborate prison escape so he can stop Robey. Meanwhile, the new leader of the Serious Crime Unit, DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo) enlists Schenk to help her catch Luther and Robey. With the police after him and nowhere to turn, Luther must rely on his instincts to elude the police and catch Robey before he can complete his murderous plans.
Who is in the Cast of ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun?’
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ stars Golden Globe and Emmy winner Idris Elba once again reprising his role as John Luther, and Dermot Crowley also returns as Martin Schenk, while the film features new cast members such as Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo (‘Harriet’) as DCI Odette Raine, and Andy Serkis (‘The Batman’) as David Robey.
The result is a very compelling and entertaining film adaption of the TV series, that is still completely enjoyable if you’ve never seen the show, but also fits in enough callbacks and Easter eggs for fans that have seen all five seasons. Neil Cross and Jamie Payne have successfully adapted the best parts of the series into a fast-paced theatrical movie, but its Idris Elba’s brilliant performance in his signature role that makes it truly worth seeing.
Film Adaption, Writing and Directing
While the first season of ‘Luther’ contained six episodes, most of the following seasons of the series have only had two to four episodes, which is probably why the show lends itself so well to a cinematic adaption. Jamie Payne directed the fifth season, and his work here is a continuation of what he started on the show, clearly understanding this story and its main character. Series creator Neil Cross wrote the script, and the villain he created for this movie, David Robey, is probably the best the series has seen since Alice Morgan.
But Cross wisely doesn’t reinvent the wheel, rather he builds off of the five previous seasons that has led the character of Luther to the place we find him at the start of the movie. The series has always taken inspiration from the classic detective show ‘Columbo,’ where the killer and their crimes are revealed at the beginning of the episode, and the fun is watching Peter Falk’s character solve the crime.
The film does the same, introducing us to Robey in the opening moments, and beginning his rivalry with Luther. Those not familiar with the series might see this as an odd way to open the film, but it is in line with the series, and both Cross and Payne pull it off creating a real cinematic tone.
While ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ does work as a standalone movie, it is also extremely rewarding for fans of the series, and those who have watched all five seasons will definitely have a stronger emotional tie to the film. For example, when Dermot Crowley’s Martin Schenk is told that Luther has escaped and is no longer in prison, his tired response, “Of course he’s not,” will ring truer for those familiar with John and Martin’s long friendship.
But new viewers should be aware, the first 10 minutes of the movie runs at lightning speed. In those opening moments, we are introduced to Robey and his crimes, Luther, Robey wanting to frame Luther, then Luther being arrested, tried, and convicted for his past crimes. Again, this all moves very quickly, as it needs to because we can’t have Luther in prison for the entire movie.
As a fan, this all works because we’ve seen the other five seasons of the series. Luther cut some corners and did some questionable things, so the pace in which he is arrested and sentenced, while still quick, makes more sense because we know the history of the show. But for those meeting Luther for the first time with ‘Fallen Sun,’ the beginning of the movie may move too fast for some to follow.
Yes he is, and so is Idris Elba, the actor that played him for five seasons on the series. Elba has become a bona fide movie star thanks to films like ‘Thor,’ ‘Pacific Rim,’ ‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw,’ and ‘Beast,’ but for fans of the BBC series, his signature role will always be as John Luther. Elba eases back into the part (and Luther’s wool coat), and is completely commanding as the character.
Luther has always been led by his moral compass, and will do whatever it takes for justice, however, this has led him to make some questionable choices in the past, that almost always leads to the death of a loved one. With Luther being sent to prison in ‘The Fallen Sun,’ it allows the character to reflect on his past choices and face the reckoning of his decisions. But, in true Luther fashion, he doesn’t spend a lot of time on self-reflection, and instead focusses on stopping Robey, even if that is not his job anymore.
No matter how smart the story, or how good the villain, the series and in-turn the movie would not work if not for Elba’s cool and multi-layered performance. Elba works well facing off against both Erivo and Serkis’ characters, but fans will really enjoy his scenes reuniting with Dermot Crowley and strengthening the relationship between John and Martin.
Andy Serkis plays David Robey, a tech billionaire and serial killer who uses surveillance technology to manipulate and kill civilians. Robey is a great ‘Luther’ advisory, and the best since Wilson’s Alice. He is also the “reckoning” that audiences have been waiting for, as he is the man that actually makes John Luther face the mistakes of his past. He is also a real threat to the citizens of London, making the urgency for Luther to escape from prison and stop him, all that more important.
Serkis is clearly having a lot of fun playing this evil character, and it’s probably the actor’s best villain portrayal since Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies. While Robey is clearly crazy and very menacing, Serkis also injects the character with vulnerabilities and a God complex, that makes him very interesting to watch. He has fantastic chemistry with Elba and Erivo, especially in the final moments of the film.
Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo is good as DCI Odette Raine, but the character falls into a similar trap as other ‘Luther’ adversaries from past seasons. She doesn’t agree with Luther’s methods and thinks he’s a “dirty cop,” so we spend half of the movie wondering when she will realize that working with Luther is the only way to stop Robey, and that Luther is not the real villain here. It’s a frustrating role for Erivo to play, but she pulls it off as best she can.
But fans of the series will be delighted to see Dermot Crowley return as Martin Schenk, the only other surviving member of the first season along with Luther. Crowley clearly knows this character, and Martin’s love, respect and understanding of Luther comes shining through. Martin is literally John’s only friend left alive, and the only person who truly understands the ordeal John has been through, mostly by his own choices. That respect is felt through the character, and some of the best scenes are between Crowley and Elba.
Unfortunately, the short answer is no. Not only does Ruth Wilson not appear in ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun,’ but Alice Morgan is not even mentioned, which I think is for the best. Wilson and Elba had fantastic onscreen chemistry together and Alice was certainly a very important part of the series, but as a fan, I think her time has gone.
As a character she was a bad influence on Luther and often encouraged him to stop doing what he does best, which is be a detective. From a storytelling stand point, there was not much left to do with the character, and she was starting to become a detriment to the show. While it seems that she is dead, you never really know with Alice, but I do hope they don’t bring her back again. ‘Fallen Sun’ ends with an interesting way that the character could live on in sequels, becoming more like a James Bond, and I’d hate to see that ruined by the unnecessary return of Alice Morgan.
Final Thoughts
In the end, ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ is an extremely enjoyable standalone ‘Luther’ movie and maybe one of the best examples of a film adaption of a TV show capturing the magic of the original. Fans of the series will be rewarded for their loyalty to the show, and new audiences will be captivated by Idris Elba’s complicated hero, and Andy Serkis’ reprehensible villain.
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ receives 9 out of 10 stars.
The long awaited feature film adaption of the popular British Television series ‘Luther,’ which is entitled ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun,’ finally hit theaters on February 24th ahead of its March 10th Netflix release. The film was written by ‘Luther’ creator Neil Cross, and directed by ‘Luther’ season five director, Jamie Payne.
What is ‘Luther?’
‘Luther’ is a British television series that ran for five seasons on the BBC and starred Idris Elba (‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Beast’) as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther of the Serious Crime Unit. Luther is a brilliant and dedicated police officer, who is also obsessive and sometimes violent. Over the five seasons, Luther’s obsession with catching criminals is tested by the trail of death left in his wake that has included his wife Zoe (Indira Varma), his partner Justin Ripley (Warren Brown), and colleague Benny (Michael Smiley).
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What is the Plot of ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun?’
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ is a sequel to the series and picks up after the events of season five. Luther’s superintendent, Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley), assigns him to the case of a gruesome serial killer named David Robey (Andy Serkis). The killer is using private cyber information to blackmail victims into committing crimes for him.
Robey soon realizes that Luther is a threat to his overall plans, and frames the detective for his past questionable behavior, sending him to prison so Robey can continue his despicable work. But when Robey begins taunting Luther behind bars, Luther plans an elaborate prison escape so he can stop the serial killer.
Meanwhile, the new leader of the Serious Crime Unit, DCI Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo) enlists Schenk to help her catch Luther and Robey. With the police after him and nowhere to turn, Luther must rely on his instincts to elude the police and catch Robey before he can complete his murderous plans.
Who is in the Cast of ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun?’
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ stars Idris Elba once again reprising his Golden Globe and Emmy winning role as John Luther, and Dermot Crowley also returning as Martin Schenk, while the film features new cast members such as Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo (‘Harriet’) as DCI Odette Raine, and Andy Serkis (‘The Batman’) as David Robey.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Andy Serkis and ‘Luther’ creator Neil Cross about their work on the new movie, the challenges of adapting the series, creating Serkis’ character, working with Idris Elba, and the future of the franchise.
Andy Serkis stars in Netflix’s ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Serkis, Cross, and director Jamie Payne.
Moviefone: To begin with, Neil, can you talk about the challenges of adapting the series into a film?
Neil Cross: Well, the challenges were personal rather than structural or transactional. I knew that we wanted to take this character, of whom I’m very fond and who plays an enormous part of my life, and tell a story about him in a different context against the bigger canvas with a bigger budget. But it was incredibly important that I do so without letting anybody down. That was the biggest challenge. And by that I mean Jamie Payne, I mean Idris himself, I mean, all of the fans who’ve been with us since season one, and I mean my kids and my wife. It was a function of not losing my mind and going mad, but telling the best story that I possibly could that respected this character and the people who followed him.
‘Luther’ creator and ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ screenwriter Neil Cross.
MF: Andy, were you a fan of the series before making the movie and working with Neil Cross?
Andy Serkis: I was a big fan of the series. Series one and two had come out and I started watching it then. I’d known Idris Elba from before that and I’d always wanted to work with him, but when I saw him play that role, I just thought, wow, he owns this character. So getting to come across him for real and act opposite him was great. He’s now played that character for ten years and just the sheer presence that he has, it’s indivisible really. Being on set with Idris, you don’t know whether he is Luther or whether he is Idris, and very rarely do you get that working with it with an actor who’s had the opportunity to imbibe a character like that for such a long time. So that was a real magical thing. Neil is one of the most delightful human beings. But he has a dark mind. It’s so incredible what he’s written over the years and takes you to places that you just don’t want to go. I nearly didn’t want to go on the journey on this one because David Robey, the character was so dark and I thought, I don’t know if I want to spend time in this guy’s company. Then when I started working on it, I took a step back and it is a great piece of writing. But what is it about this character that’s going to keep me on? It really was about technology and the use of technology, and our complete willingness to abjure any responsibility in this day and age. We’ve given up so much power to the internet. Then you have someone like David Robey who can manipulate that, and then hones in on someone specific who he wants to shame. John Luther thinks of himself as above everybody else because he’s a cop, and he can play by his own rules. So there’s a kind of hatred of hypocrisy that David Robey has and he wants to bring him down. I just think Neil is such a skilled crafts person in terms of making the ordinary horror, because David Robey’s only a fraction of what the real monster in this movie is, and the real monster is the internet and social media.
MF: Neil, David Robey is causing a reckoning for the city of London with his reign of terror, as well as for John Luther by revealing the sins of Luther’s past. Can you talk about creating the character and the cat and mouse game he plays with Luther?
NC: Well, that’s absolutely the case. I’m fascinated by the power of our shame, and I’m fascinated by the degree of power over our freedom that shame has. Sometimes people would go to war. People would go over the top at Passchendaele or the Somme because they were too embarrassed not to. It was too shameful not to. The fear of shame really is stronger than the fear of death in the right circumstances, which kind of gives someone like Robey who has access to our shame, unlimited power over us, which is kind of very Mephistopheles and very devilish, a very kind of folkloric figure to bring into the modern world. Then of course, we have John Luther himself, who, as he’s moved through the world, has accumulated his own burden of shame. I thought it was an interesting way to begin the story that Robey weaponizes Luther’s past. A new audience doesn’t need to know the specifics of what he’s done, but the returning audience does know some of it. Robey is able to take the weight of that shame and jiu-jitsu it such that Luther is helpless and locked away enabling Robey to do his thing abroad on the dark streets of London and elsewhere.
MF: Andy, can you talk about your approach to playing Robey and his antagonistic relationship with Luther?
AS: I mean, because he knows that John Luther prides himself as someone who can see people, who can really see them. Robey’s defense of that is the fact that he’s invisible. He’s almost nonexistent he’s that invisible. He is the specter that no one can pin down because he really isn’t anything. He’s unremarkable in every sense, although he’s got lots of money and he’s made his money through tech, he actually doesn’t connect with humanity. He is so removed from humanity and has removed himself from humanity, isolated and deeply lonely. That is the weird tragedy of the character, is that he cannot connect in any way. He can only observe, manipulate and voyeuristically suck people’s lives out of little boxes that he watches on monitors through their own devices in their houses and actually sort of construct a version of himself through that. That goes from his observations of their physicality or what their actions might be as they walk from room to room in their own house, to what they wear, what they dress like and how they do their hair. He imbibes all of those elements of these people, and deconstructs little pieces of people and then builds himself up as a version of that. So he really truly is a reflection of the society that he’s watching. Including Luther, absolutely, crucially.
MF: Neil, besides Luther, Martin Schenk is the only character from season one to appear in the film, and in many ways, Martin is the only friend John has left. Can you talk about the long friendship between John and Martin and how that is depicted in this movie?
NC: He really is. I mean, we first met him in the TV show as he was a kind of police corruption investigator who became Luther’s boss and who was, gently corrupted is too strong a word, but Luther kind of pulled him over into the Luther way of doing things as the series progressed. They’ve got a very unique, but nevertheless, I think instantly recognizable father/son, spy/handler relationship going on. The relationship on screen is underwritten by a real life fondness between these two men who’ve known each other for a long time and you can feel it. You can feel the depth of it. There’s a delightful gameplay between them. Without giving the story away, they have a bet. Is Luther going to do what he does before Schenk catches Luther? And there’s no malice in that. There’s no hatred in it. It’s just gameplay. But it’s underwritten all the time by something not unakin to love, I think. Luther still calls him boss.
MF: Andy, there is a scene in the movie where Luther is back on the streets, he puts on his signature wool coat, and is standing on a rooftop overlooking his city. In that moment, I couldn’t help but think of Batman, and there is a similarity between John Luther and the Dark Knight. Since you have now worked on both franchises, do you think there is a connection between the two fictional characters?
AS: Absolutely. In many ways people have also drawn kind of comparisons to James Bond. But I think the comparison to Batman is a lot stronger in many ways because with Bond there are no kind of rough edges, he’s not a failure in any way. Bond is kind of perfect in a sense, whereas Bruce Wayne has so much vulnerability and yet he has to construct a shell to get through. The coat is the cape and ‘Luther’ Land is a version of Gotham in its own way. It’s a London kind of like Gotham, elevated but it actually satirizes the real world that we live in. It’s an elevated version of London, and particularly actually in this movie, it looks amazing. London looks incredible in ‘The Fallen Sun,’ and the way that Jamie Payne has shot. Even from the opening frame, just looking through all of those windows and all the iconic places in London, but then the darker, less known areas, it really does feel like a big character in this film.
MF: Andy, besides Idris Elba’s brilliant performance, what do you think it is about the character of John Luther that resonates so much with audiences?
AS: I think it’s the fact that he isn’t perfect. I think he really is a kind of an anti-hero in a way. Although he’s instinctive, he doesn’t play by the rules, but he has his own moral logic, I suppose. Actually that is what David Robey hates is the fact that it’s okay for him to have his own moral logic, but I can’t have mine. Who’s he to judge me? But I think that’s what people like is they want someone who is fighting for right, and will try to do anything. He’s unrelenting in his pursuit of trying to right wrongs, but he doesn’t always get it right. It often backfires on him hugely. But when that happens, he’s always willing to go, “I screwed up there.” There’s something very human about that, which is appealing.
MF: Finally, Neil, is the TV series officially over? Is the plan to continue making ‘Luther’ movies, if this one is successful?
NC: That is the plan. The TV series is done. If we’re lucky, the fans will get to see more ‘Luther’ like this.
Making the leap from small screen to big can be a daunting prospect. But when you’re John Luther, brought to TV screens by Idris Elba, you tend to face any challenge with your considerable smarts––and willingness to break the rules when you deem it necessary.
‘Luther’ the series, created by Neil Cross, has featured Elba’s tough nut British police detective solving many a case, but frequently crossing the line to do so. And now, for a Netflix film entitled ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun,’ that continues the story of the show, when we find Luther, he’s languishing in prison.
“He’s done so much to bend the law in order to catch the bad guys that he’s ended up in jail,” Elba tells the streaming service’s TUDUM blog. “That’s where we start the story. This old case that didn’t really ever get solved creeps up back into his life. And John can’t help but find a way to get involved. This bad guy is out there and he has to go out and get him.”
That bad guy is millionaire David Robey, a tech magnate who uses his considerable resources to discover and exploit the dark secrets of others in the service of blackmail.
Portraying Robey in Andy Serkis, who discovered that the character was beyond even what he expected. “I don’t think I’ve come across anything quite as dark for a long time,” he told Total Film magazine, admitting that the script had him asking, “do I really actually at this point in the world and time and my life, want to go down this particular rabbit hole of something that’s so hard to fathom in humanity?”
“Robey really just comes from this tension between morality and ethics,” says ‘Luther’ creator Neil Cross in the same interview. “True morality is the kind of behavior that you exhibit when you know that nobody is watching. But we’ve ceded lots of that private behavior to the semi-private forum of the internet. I’m terrified by the idea that somebody, in fact, is watching.”
The movie––which we now know will be released in select theaters on February 24th, two weeks before its arrival on Netflix’s servers––sees Luther headed outside of London’s grimy streets for snowy pastures new. But the main man is still going to be the person we know…
“Luther’s an unstoppable force,” says director Jamie Payne. “But up to this point, he’s had to tread around the law of the police, because that was his job. Now, he’s a fugitive. This is Luther untethered. This man is so forward in his thinking and is in action. He’s like a wrecking ball, but the smartest wrecking ball you’ve ever met in your life.”
They may come from very different screen worlds – Winston Duke is currently best known for playing M’Baku in Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ (and is a winning part of sequel ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ which just hit theaters), while British theatre actor Hannah Waddingham broke big with TV’s ‘Ted Lasso’ – but the pair of performers are about to unite on ‘The Fall Guy’.
When his movie work starts to dry up, Seavers pivots to become a bounty hunter, using all the know-how he’s acquired to craft film action to track down and defeat swindlers, thieves, bikers, conmen, fugitives, and corrupt officials using his fists and his vehicle skills.
Majors starred alongside Douglas Barr and Heather Thomas as Colt’s colleagues Howie Munson and Jody Banks, who helped him out on his missions. Though the show was often a giant slab of ‘80s cheese TV, the concept clearly has legs, with at least two movies going through development
(L to R) Heather Thomas and Lee Majors in ‘The Fall Guy.’ Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Word of Leitch and Gosling’s take first surfaced in 2020, then referred to as ‘Unknown Stuntman Movie’ and backing via Universal.
When Taylor-Johnson was cast, we got fresh information as to the storyline for this one, which looks to be largely jettisoning the side-hustle part of the original show.
Gosling is playing the battered and past-his-prime stuntman who finds himself back on a movie with a star he worked with long ago and who replaced him. The problem, however, is that the star is now missing…
Taylor-Johnson will be the movie star that Gosling is doubling, while Blunt is a prosthetic makeup artist that has a romantic past with our hero. Hsu, on screen this year in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ will be a no-doubt harried assistant to Taylor-Johnson’s character.
Duke is on board to play the best friend of Gosling’s character, while Waddingham will bring all of her comic and dramatic chops to the role of the movie’s producer, likely none too happy that her production is going off the rails.
Given Leitch’s experience (and Gosling’s past playing stuntmen in ‘Drive’ and ‘The Place Beyond The Pines’), we’d expect a funny, action-packed movie.
With a script from ‘Iron Man 3’s Drew Pearce and cameras rolling in Australia, ‘The Fall Guy’ is taking aim at a March 1st, 2024, release.
Hannah Waddingham in “Ted Lasso” season two, now streaming on Apple TV+.
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Daniel Day-Lewis as William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting in director Martin Scorsese’s ‘Gangs of New York.’
Sooner or later, it seems that every classic movie will one day become a TV series. But not many of them can boast the director of the Oscar-nominated original film, nor someone with the clout and kudos of Martin Scorsese.
You’re likely aware of Scorsese’s 2002 gangster movie, which boasted the star power of Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis and adapted Herbert Asbury’s 1927 non-fiction book ‘The Gangs of New York’.
‘Gangs’ cinematic story (adapted by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan) was set in a god-forsaken district of early-1860s Lower Manhattan known as the Five Points.
The vicious Nativist, Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Day-Lewis) is the supreme overlord of an area riddled with crime, prostitution, theft and murder, as the American Civil War still rages on.
Sixteen years after the brutal murder of his father at Bill’s blood-stained hands, an orphaned Irish American, Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio), returns to this melting pot of corruption to avenge his untimely death; yet a lot has changed since then.
Who can remember the once-innocent boy and now a young man bent on revenge, who works his way up to the hierarchy of Five Points? Will Amsterdam ever taste the dangerous but sweet fruit of retribution?
(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon, and Daniel Day-Lewis as William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting in director Martin Scorsese’s ‘Gangs of New York.’
Not wanting to repeat what has already been brought to the screen (to the tune of nearly $200 million worldwide at the box office and 10 Oscar nominations), the plan from Miramax TV, according to Deadline, is to focus on characters who didn’t appear in the movie.
Playwright and TV writer Brett Leonard, who most recently was on the staff of the Apple TV+ drama ‘Shantaram’ (which stars Charlie Hunnam) is overseeing the new show, while Scorsese will be an executive producer and bring his considerable experience to directing the first two episodes and therefore setting the visual tone for the show.
This is not the first time that ‘Gangs’ has been the target of a proposed TV version, nor the first time Scorsese has been involved.
In 2013, Miramax and GK Films started development on a series which would likewise deviate from the film’s focus, instead spreading the story to other cities, including Chicago and New Orleans and chronicle the birth of organized crime in America.
“This time and era of America’s history and heritage is rich with characters and stories that we could not fully explore in a two-hour film,” Scorsese said at the time of that original announcement. “A television series allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life.”
The show as of yet doesn’t have a broadcast or streaming home, but you can imagine that HBO would certainly be interested given the success of ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ it’s last collaboration with the director that featured mobsters.
Director Martin Scorsese at the Academy Awards.
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