Warren Brown on a Luther film: "I don’t know if that’s going to happen"
Writer and creator Neil Cross previously said that the movie had been written
It’s been nearly four years since Luther writer and creator Neil Cross revealed that a film adaptation had been written, but it looks like we’re still no closer to having Idris Elba’s detective on the big screen.
The show’s star Warren Brown, who played DS Justin Ripley in the BBC series, exclusively told RadioTimes.com that he doesn’t know whether the movie prequel will now ever happen.
“There’s been talk for years about the prequel movie,” said Brown, whose much-loved character was killed off at the end of the third series. “I know Neil has been on record, but the two of them [Cross and Elba] have been increasingly busy over the last few years and deservedly so.
“So I don’t know if that’s going to happen. If it happens then amazing, because it’s been a job that’s been super dear to me. But I honestly don’t know whether that would happen yet.”
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV festival in 2013, Cross said that the film was already written and that the final scene of the movie would lead into the very first scene in the first episode of series one.
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The previous year, Cross also said that he was interested in creating a spin-off show focused on Alice Morgan, played by Ruth Wilson.
He said: “The BBC is very interested in the project. The only real question would be how many and how often we would do it - whether it would be a one-off miniseries or a returning miniseries, a co-production or not.” However, as of yet no further plans for the show have been confirmed.
Asked by RadioTimes.com whether he would instead like to star in a TV series prequel spin-off about Ripley, Brown said that though he would “love that” he wasn’t sure when he would be able to make time owing to his other filming commitments.
Brown’s latest project is helping his former co-star learn to become a professional kickboxer in just 12 months for new Discovery series Idris Elba: Fighter.
A former two-time World Thai Boxing champion, Brown was on hand throughout the year to help Elba try and achieve his dream of becoming a world-class fighter.
He also recalled a moment while filming on set when the pair had a silly scrap – and Idris came off worse.
Brown revealed: “Long before this I remember there was a day on Luther and we were fooling around and he kept saying ‘Come on, let’s fight’ and he was trying to play shadow boxing on set between takes.
“I was like ‘Don’t…’. And he went to kick me in the leg and just instinctively I brought my knee up to block it, so his shin went onto my knee and he was limping around for about three days.”
Idris Elba: Fighter airs Tuesday January 17 at 10pm on Discovery Channel
