Idris Elba thinks his 'Luther' character is "like Batman".
Idris Elba
The 46-year-old actor is set to return to screens as DCI John Luther for a fifth series later this year and he's particularly interested in exploring the way his alter ego goes through "trauma" and how it impacts on his work.
He said: "If you notice every season Luther comes out - he goes through such trauma, but comes out and ahh. I'm interested in that. Like in real life, the toll that job takes on investigative services, especially murder detectives, the things they see.
"Luther is an amplification of that story, he's like Batman. But we do pay attention - like each season how does he get past that?"
Though Idris refused to give too many details about what will happen in the next series of the BBC drama - which hasn't been on screen since 2015 - he has teased there will be a "few turns" ahead.
He told metro.co.uk: "All I can say is we know how long the fanbase wait for the show, and we're never taking that lightly. So as much as we have to keep one eye on how do we not do what we've done before, at the same time saying to the audience 'this is Luther', so you recognise the traits.
"After five seasons, you kind of go 'oh where do we go now?' and for me I'm very excited about the season, it feels very similar to what we've seen but it takes a few turns. Luther is still the character we love to hate.
"It was really great getting back into the coat and being that guy again."
Though Ruth Wilson recently left 'The Affair', Idris refused to confirm whether she'll be back on 'Luther' as the mysterious Alice.
He simply said: "No sorry. The truth of the matter is we want the audience to have something to talk about."
Tagged in Idris Elba