Idris Elba is going to some more far-flung places as he returns as DCI John Luther.
Across five seasons on the small screen, DCI John Luther never once ventured outside London, but that’s all changing in the spin-off film Luther: The Fallen Sun.
While much of the film was indeed shot in the UK capital – in no fewer than 37 different locations – fans will also get to see the title character travel out of his home city for the first time.
“We break out of the gritty streets of London, we take it outside of that a little bit,” star Idris Elba explained in an interview with Empire back in November 2022. “And that’s great. It feels like now we’re entering a different life of the Luther experience.”
Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations used for Luther: The Fallen Sun.
Luther: The Fallen Sun location guide – Where was it filmed?
As was the case for the TV show, filming took place in several locations around London – but the bigger budget that came with the transition to the big screen also allowed the crew to shoot some scenes further afield.
As such, a segment of the film was shot in Iceland – where according to the production notes, the cast and crew were able to witness the Northern Lights – while some key sections were also shot at Lite Studios in Brussels, Belgium, including a scene that used the largest and deepest shooting tank in Europe.
But of course, it wouldn’t be Luther without showcasing some key London landmarks, and no less than 37 distinct locations in the city were used during the shoot including familiar spots in Chinatown, Fleet Street, and Piccadilly Circus.
The prison that Luther finds himself in at the start of the film is HM Prison Dorchester, which closed down in 2014 and underwent some major redevelopments to get it ready for the film.
Led by designer Jon Gary Steele, the production team repainted three floors, replicated and replaced all the historic Victorian locks, and sourced missing doors from nearby Gloucester Prison.
Meanwhile, an early fight scene between Luther and villain David Robey (Andy Serkis) was filmed at the abandoned Aldwych Tube Station, which originally opened in 1907 but has been closed since 1994.
Despite now being closed, the station has a storied history – it was used as a bomb shelter during the Second World War, while the National Gallery and British Museum used it to protect some of its most valuable treasures from the German Blitzkrieg.
One other notable aspect about the shoot is that Luther: The Fallen Sun managed to film at Picadilly Circus for longer than any other production ever – with several night shoots having been filmed at the world-famous locations.
Luther: The Fallen Sun will be in select cinemas on Friday 24th February 2023 and on Netflix on Friday 10th March 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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