Luther: The Fallen Sun will feature Andy Serkis as the film’s antagonist opposite of Luther series star Idris Elba, but the renowned actor considered turning the role down. Luther: The Fallen Sun is the feature-length follow-up to the Luther series finale. The television series aired five seasons on BBC in the United Kingdom, premiering in 2010 and airing its final episode in 2019. The show followed Elba’s DCI John Luther, an expert but troubled police detective who uncovers mysterious killings and puts himself in harm’s way in the process.
In an excerpt from an interview with Total Film (via Games Radar), Luther: The Fallen Sun‘s Serkis reveals the script for the upcoming follow-up to the hit series was so dark that he nearly passed on the role entirely. Serkis, who most recently played Imperial prisoner leader Kino Loy in Andor, says he wanted to throw the script in the trash and take a shower after he first read what his character would have to do. He even considered not taking the role, saying he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go down such an unfathomable rabbit hole. Check out Serkis’ full comments on the Luther: The Fallen Sun script below:
“When I first read the script, I almost wanted to throw it in the bin and have a shower. I don’t think I’ve come across anything quite as dark for a long time. And I thought: ‘In fact, 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?'”
Andy Serkis’ Role In Luther: The Fallen Sun Explained
Luther: The Fallen Sun recently revealed images of Serkis donning a robe in his lavish home, but the motion-capture legend’s comments on the role are some of the first details to be revealed about the character. He plays a millionaire named David Robey, who is said to be a man tapping into zeitgeist fears of Big Tech spying on consumers and the existence of the dark web. The villain uses tech as a tool to spy on others with the goal of collecting information and secrets he can use to manipulate them. Robey appears to be a villain with a distinct purpose.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Luther: The Fallen Sun‘s villain is as intensely calculated as the description suggests. The series was oftentimes shockingly cold and dark, tapping into some disturbing themes within the crimes that Elba’s leading character had to solve. In a movie about one of the best criminal investigators in the world, it’s important that the villain is a convincing one, both in terms of their threat to society and their competency. John Luther’s brilliance in the TV show is in his ability to process information and put his mind to work. Ironically, it’s his mind that also haunts him the most. With the disgraced investigator behind bars, Robey will be several steps ahead of Luther, perhaps making him his most dangerous foe to date.
How Andy Serkis’ Role Compares To His Other Villains
Serkis has graced numerous franchises with his presence in villainous roles, with his motion-capture work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy being two of his most recognizable. In recent years, he has been given the opportunity to play traditional roles on screen. Serkis’ return to Star Wars as Kino Loy and his portrayal of Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman in 2022 proved to many TV and film fans that he is just as effective in the flesh as he is in mo-cap. Now slated to be Elba’s foil in the highly anticipated Luther: The Fallen Sun, Serkis has another chance to shine.
Source: Total Film (via Games Radar)