Luther movie shakes up clever Bond gag

The name’s Luther, John Luther. With the impending release of Luther: The Fallen Sun–a continuation of the incredible British crime series Luther–and the hunt for James Bond ongoing, it’s been revealed that the Luther movie does contain a subtle jab at 007.

Reports have come out that Luther: The Fallen Sun contains a scene in which Luther, played by Idris Elba, turns down a martini, Bond’s favorite drink (even though it should be stirred, not shaken…just saying). According to series creator and the movie’s writer Neil Cross, the scene serves as “an extended middle finger and a wink.”

Elba, of course, was a popular fan choice to take over the role of Bond, even as the Luther movie was in production. And while it has essentially been confirmed that Idris Elba has aged out of the Bond role, fans will at least get a mock-crossover.

But no, the Luther movie and character aren’t his “audition” for Bond. As Elba put it, “Oh my God, no! I’ve been saying for years, no!…The martini line is a bit cheeky, isn’t it? I was like, ‘Neil, are you sure you want to put that in?’” It would seem that this scene will be one of the more talked-about ones in the movie. Reviews have been coming in over the past couple weeks, with our own JimmyO praised it with a 9/10.

Even though Idris Elba will never work for M16 as James Bond, he has excelled in playing John Luther, garnering an even larger fanbase through the Emmy-nominated series. But for our entertainment, he did offer a compare-contrast session. “Luther’s equally engaging, equally sexy and great to see visually. But Bond is from a universe where espionage was the way to capture. Luther is from the world where you bang on the door, ‘Are you in there? I’m coming in.’…I think Luther fits with a bit more of a modern-day bad guy as opposed to someone from the taking-over-the-world style.”

How do you feel about Idris Elba never playing 007? Is Luther a perfectly acceptable substitute to Bond? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Luther: The Fallen Sun comes to Netflix on March 10th.