Yahoo Movies Luther creator discusses potential return for Alice
Luther's writer and director has weighed in on a big absence from Netflix's newly released film on Idris Elba's sleuth.
Luther: The Fallen Sun marks the return of Elba's Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, though not all the characters from the series make an appearance. Among the notable absentees? Ruth Wilson's Alice Morgan, whose fate still remains ambiguous after that fall in the season 5 finale.
In a recent interview, writer and creator Neil Cross explained why past characters, including Alice and Paul McGann's Mark North, don't pop up in the film.
Related: Luther ending explained: Who is that at the end of The Fallen Sun?
"I think fan-service is a sugar high. And I think it's very tempting for any filmmaker, any writer to do," he told RadioTimes.com.
"And also, I think it would be discourteous to the new audience, who see something which they know means something but they don't know what it is," he continued.
The film's director Jamie Payne spoke in more detail about Alice's absence, highlighting how important it was to make the story accessible to a new audience, even if that meant not bringing back some key players.
Related: Luther: The Fallen Sun saw Andy Serkis take on his darkest role yet
"Well, if we're going to introduce a new audience to our central character, how many of those incredible satellites do you want to put into the story?" he said.
Payne added: "And I think that does apply to Alice, who is such an incredible story companion, in so many ways, to the Luther series. The whole idea that Alice and Mark and others exist there within the Luther universe potentially – that thought is exciting."
As for Wilson, she refused to say goodbye to Alice when season 5 aired. Despite acknowledging it was unlikely for her serial killer character to have survived such a dramatic fall, she also pointed out that the body is never actually shown to the audience.
"Well, I wouldn't like to say. I don't know how someone could survive that fall, so that's my thought. But then you don't see the body. So I don't know," she told Entertainment Weekly.
Elba added: "We see a body and then we don't see a body. That's definitely classic Alice and definitely leaves Luther like, 'F**k, really?' She's almost like a ghost."
But, with more Luther films potentially in the works, there's still a chance for Alice to wreak more havoc on the detective's life.
Luther: The Fallen Sun is available to watch now on Netflix.
You Might Also Like
