Robert Viglasky, © BBCFor some reason Fox is remaking Luther. Yes, the hit Emmy-nominated BBC series starring Idris Elba. According to reports, the network has given a put-pilot commitment to Luther, the crime drama from the U.K. that follows Detective John Luther (Elba).
Neil Cross, the show's creator, is on board to write and executive produce the new Fox version. Producers include 20th Century Fox Television, Chernin Entertainment and BBC Worldwide Producers.
Elba is also attached to executive produce, but not reprise his Emmy-nominated role. He's won a Golden Globe for the series, which ran for three seasons and 14 episodes. The show, which also starred The Affair's Ruth Wilson, is currently available on Netflix.
Remaking British shows is nothing new and just may be Fox's new game. The network remade Broadchurch, a celebrated series starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, as Gracepoint and drafted Tennant to co-star opposite Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn. Fox's Gracepoint received middling reviews and has not performed well in the ratings department. A recent episode had 3.5 million viewers.
"Fox is doing an adaptation of Luther? ffs Fox no one watched Gracepoint. We don't need any remakes of BBC shows," one user tweeted.
"WHO WILL WATCH AN AMERICAN LUTHER WITHOUT IDRIS ELBA. NOBODY THAT'S WHO," another shared.
The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news about Fox's Luther remake.
Luther is just the latest in a long line of adaptations and remakes in the works for the 2015 TV season. Fox also has a take on Archie Comics with a drama Riverdale and the Tom Hanks movie Big. NBC is working on several movie adaptations like Marley & Me and Problem Child. There's also a Rush Hour series in the works at CBS and a bevy of comic book shows in development from Supergirl to Lucifer.