“Luther” will return to BBC America this fall with what is described as a “miniseries sequel” to the award-winning drama starring Idris Elba.
BBC America’s decision to re-up “Luther” wasn’t exactly a surprise, given the drama’s recognition with Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award voters, but also given an even more significant fact: “Luther” was renewed for U.K. television by the BBC last fall and the new installments have already been shot and are currently in post-production.
“It”s great to be involved once again with such a critically-acclaimed series and to have Idris back on BBC America in this iconic role,” states Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America. “He fully deserves the prestigious awards and accolades he”s received for playing this dark and deeply disturbed character. With an even more intense storyline awaiting him, Idris will take Luther to a whole new level.”
BBC America will have a co-production capacity in the new “Luther” series and the network hopes to air installments in the fall of 2011.
The UK renewal was for a pair of two-hour “Luther” mysteries. BBC America has yet to determine how those episodes will be aired, but the plan is to keep the content unedited from the British version.
The second series finds Elba’s John Luther returning to policing in the aftermath of the events that closed last season. With his old unit gone, he’s assigned to the Serious and Serial Unit, where he teams up with some old colleagues and new colleagues, first on a series of ritual murders being carried out by a masked man at various historic locations in London.