Despite ‘Gracepoint’ failures, Fox wants to adapt ‘Luther’ … without Idris Elba?

It may be safe to file this report under “crazy news of the day.”

According to a brand-new report coming in from Variety, the once-popular / now-struggling network otherwise known as Fox is considering at the moment adapting the BBC series “Luther” for American audiences. Not only have they given it a pilot commitment, but they even have original series creator Neil Cross on board. Idris Elba stars as the character on the British version of the crime drama, and he will executive-producer here. It is unlikely that he will be on board in an acting capacity.

The question that we wounder about this series at the moment is pretty simple: Why? With “Luther” readily available to American audiences already anyway, there is not the same level of incentive to bring the show over here, especially without its biggest star on board. Also, you would think that Fox learned a lesson or two with “Gracepoint” that this sort of thing does not often work, and they had original star David Tennant on board for a different version of his character from the British original.

Sure, there have been times that British adaptations have worked well, with “The Office” serving as one of the greatest examples. We’d just argue that it is so much harder now in the Netflix era, when the carrier provides so many of the original British series, and networks like PBS and BBC America are often frequent broadcasts.

Ultimately, it’s really too early to tell what will happen here. Maybe the pilot turns out brilliant and a series is ordered, or maybe it is so bad that we never hear about this again.

Regardless, what’s your take on this news? Share your thoughts now with a comment, and head over here to get some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo via Fox.)