“Director Praises Idris Elba’s ‘Inhuman’ Stamina In ‘Luther’ Movie”

• Insider spoke to “Luther: The Fallen Sun” director Jamie Payne about the new movie.
• The director said Idris Elba has “inhuman” strength and stamina in a huge prison scene. 
• Payne also said that the sequence was originally “twice as long.”

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” finally gives Idris Elba the chance to take the titular dogged detective from TV to the big screen in a story that pits him against David Robey (Andy Serkis), a twisted killer who revels in blackmailing his victims before forcing them into horrific situations. 

The villain also tries to get Luther out of the picture by having him arrested and put in prison in the film’s opening, although it isn’t long before he figures out an escape plan. That plan involves starting a riot and brawling his way through the prison, something Idris told Insider is his favorite moment in the film.

Speaking at the movie’s world premiere in London Wednesday, director Jamie Payne told Insider that the ambitious prison sequence was logistically quite difficult.

Payne joked that the hardest part was “realizing those 34-inch thick walls don’t move when you want to push a camera.”

But the filmmaker added that the lengthy fight actually gets to the heart of who Elba’s determined detective really is.

Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba and Jamie Payne attend the Global Premiere of “Luther: The Fallen Sun.”

Lia Toby/Getty Images

“The truth is, it’s an action sequence, but the important part of that is you get introduced to a particular facet of Luther. And that’s his unstoppable heart. That sequence is all about character for me because you’re gonna see Luther push himself to the extremes to achieve his goal.”

The director also praised Elba for his work ethic, saying he’s “an incredibly dedicated star,” before adding “the stunt team were really surprised by how long he kept going during that fight sequence. It’s quite incredible.” 

When it comes to the work that goes into making a scene like that, Payne again praised Elba, saying: “I think you need a dedicated performer that seems to have a strength and stamina that’s inhuman.”

He also teased that the scene was nearly even longer, calling it “operatic.”

Payne said: “Can I tell you something? Originally, that sequence was twice as long. So we cut it down because it just felt too much too operatic.”

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” is in select theaters now and premieres on Netflix on March 10.