The upcoming Netflix outing Luther: The Fallen Sun could spark a James Bond-esque franchise, according to star and 007 favorite Idris Elba. Speaking with Total Film, Elba, who has been one of the top 5 actors suggested to take over the role of James Bond for some time now, compares Luther to the iconic spy, revealing that Luther: The Fallen Sun could spawn several feature-length adventures for the unorthodox detective. With a new actor taking over the role once Elba gets too old.

Hoping to create something akin to the scale and reverence of the James Bond saga, Elba clearly has big ideas in mind for the world of John Luther following the release of Luther: The Fallen Sun. And with Netflix always on the lookout for another major franchise, should Luther: The Fallen Sun do well, Elba will surely get his wish.

“I reference Bond as a template for the type of film we’re going for. John is a leading character in a film that he’s the hero of. That’s the comparison I’m making. Some films do them well – Bond is one of them. But my ambition for it is to have that sort of scale, that reverence. I want people to be like: ‘Ooh! Luther, the first film? Wicked.’ And to continue that. And then maybe later down the line, when I’m too old, someone else will step in to play John.”

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Making the comparison between Luther and James Bond is sure to have tongues wagging all over again, with the actor consistently finding himself near the tippy top of bookies’ favorites for the next 007. For his part, Elba is over being asked about the prospect of wielding a license to kill, recently calling it “lazy journalism.”

“I have no more answers for it. I just tell people ‘aw, don’t ask me that.’ Because a lot of times it’s really lazy journalism,” he said. We’ll try not to take it too personally. “And people try to use it as clickbait like ‘what’s he gonna say this time?’ I try to say the same things. Every now and then I just tease them, but every now and then I’ll give them some philosophy on why I don’t want to do it or why it’s a rumor. But most times now I tend not to talk about it.”

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Luther: The Fallen Sun is Due to Land on Netflix in March

     Netflix

Luther: The Fallen Sun will act as the epic continuation of the award-winning television saga of the same name. A gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.

Directed by Jamie Payne and written by Luther creator Neil Cross, Luther: The Fallen Sun stars Idris Elba as DCI John Luther alongside Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Jess Liaudin, Lauryn Ajufo, and Natasha Patel.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is scheduled to be released in March 2023, by Netflix.