News

Cynthia Erivo will host the 78th annual Tony Awards this June.

This marks the first time hosting the ceremony for Erivo, who is a Tony Award winner for her starring role in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple, which also led to Emmy and Grammy Awards. Erivo is nominated for an Academy Award at this year’s Oscars ceremony for her role as Elphaba in Wicked.

“I am so proud and excited to take on this glorious honor,” Erivo said. “I am looking forward to ushering the theatre community at large through a night that celebrates the wonderful performances we have witnessed throughout the year. I hope I can rise to the occasion.”

The Tony Awards will be held on Sun. June 8 at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast live to both coasts on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Erivo rose to fame playing Celie in...

Cynthia Erivo is now a two-time Oscar nominee after receiving immense acclaim for her performance as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked. However, right before Wicked, Erivo acted in a much different film. The movie, Luther: The Fallen Sun, was a Netflix exclusive and incorporates multiple genres, including action, crime, and psychological thriller.

Erivo stars alongside Idris Elba, who plays the titular character, reprising his role from a popular BBC series. Erivo gets to act frequently with Elba in the film, as she spends a large portion chasing him before the two join forces. The film also turns dark as the motives of the twisted serial killer antagonist are revealed.

Your Ratingclose10 stars9 stars8 stars7 stars6 stars5 stars4 stars3 stars2 stars1 starRate Now0/10

Your comment has not been saved

Luther: The Fallen SunRCrimeDramaMysteryRelease DateFebruary 24, 2023Runtime129 minutesDirectorJamie PayneCastSee All

Idris Elba

Cynthia Erivo

Andy Serkis

Dermot Crowley

Where to watchCloseWHERE...

Stars: Ruaridh Aldington, Angela Dixon, Craig Conway, Madalina Bellarui Ion, Andrew Lyle-Pinnock, Natasha Patel, Andrew Lee Potts | Written by Peter Stylianou | Directed by Peter Stylianou, Sean Cronin

It feels like vampires and vampirism are often used as metaphors as they are as supernatural threats these days. Be it obsession, addiction or undying love, there’s a flock of fanged films that uses them to explore it. Drained, a new film from writer Peter Stylianou who co-directed it with Sean Cronin combines some of these into a story that looks at codependency and toxic relationships.

Thomas is an artist, he may not be a starving artist, but he is an unemployed one who still lives at home with his mother. He’s focused on creating a killer portfolio, but at the expense of getting any actually assignments in the here and now. It doesn’t help that his mother is also...

Have you been watching Missing You, the latest Harlan Coben drama on Netflix? Plenty of people have as it’s a regular top ten show on the platform currently. But with just five episodes in the limited series, it’s all over far too quickly.

If you like watching the many Coben shows like that one, you may be hungry for more to watch in a similar style. His deal with Netflix means there will be others to follow. It looks like the next two from the author are being lined up now.

If you want another dark mystery full of plot twists and with big characters then Netflix will have many options. One recommendation would be to turn to the 2023 movie featuring the return of Di John Luther. The maverick UK cop was always highly watchable during his five TV series. A movie promises more of the same but in a shorter time frame.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

We have some tragic news to report from the world of reality TV.

Lynn Ban — one of the stars of the Netflix reality show Bling Empire: New York — has passed away.

She was just 52 years old.

Lynn Ban attends as Netflix and Michael Kors launch Bling Empire New York at House of Red Pearl on January 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Lynn Ban’s Cause of Death

Lynn’s passing is especially shocking given her active and healthy lifestyle.

According to a new report from Page Six, Ban suffered an accident while skiing on Christmas Eve.

“At the top of the mountain I caught a tip and face planted . Luckily I always wear a helmet , It didn’t seem that bad at the time and I was able to ski to the bottom,” the jewelry designer wrote on Instagram at the time.

While a handful of MCU movies have been dated for after Avengers: Secret Wars, there's been no word on exactly when Marvel Studios' X-Men reboot will be released.

We know that Michael Lesslie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) is penning the screenplay, but beyond that, updates have been few and far between. Unsurprisingly, social media scoopers are already dropping hints about who could play Marvel's Merry Mutants.

Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is supposedly being eyed for the role of Jean Grey and, according to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, Wicked's Cynthia Erivo is "one of the actors Marvel has been eyeing for Storm."

Sink is 22 and Erivo is 38, so that's a big age difference between the two team members. However, it's possible Marvel Studios is casting a wide net and has yet to decide whether we're getting an established team of Uncanny X-Men or a younger group of First Class-style mutants.

Cynthia Erivo is riding a big wave of success as one of the leads of the hit film Wicked, based on the popular stage show. The movie's success will likely lead to many more exciting casting opportunities for Erivo, and she has the door wide open for a possible role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Per the National Board of Review, Erivo was recently asked if there was any particular "dream role" she wanted to manifest. Erivo, who has drawn high praise for her role as Elphaba in Wicked, revealed that the X-Men character Storm is the character she wants to play the most. She went on to explain why she's so eager to play Storm, noting that there's a lot of untapped storyline potential for the character that hasn't been explored on-screen before.

Cynthia Erivo tells NBR her next dream role is X-Men's Storm ðŸ‘€ðŸŒ©ï¸ #NBRAwards #CynthiaErivo pic.

Idris Elba has been acting for nearly three decades and has been a part of both large franchises and independent dramas, making him one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Elba was born in London, England and began acting in the mid 1990s, beginning with small roles in British television shows. Idris Elba first gained greater fame with his role as Russell "Stringer" Bell in the acclaimed series The Wire. Since then, he has become even more well-known, from his role as John Luther in the detective series Luther to his recent voice acting as Knuckles in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Through all of his popular roles in movies and prestige TV series, Idris Elba has become a household name and is one of the top grossing stars in the movie industry. Elba has also been nominated for numerous awards and won many of them, including a Golden...

Hollywood’s go-to villain actor Mads Mikkelsen, whose career as a bad guy was largely sparked by his role as Le Chiffre in the 2006 James Bond reboot Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig, has chosen who he thinks should be cast as the next 007. But there’s a problem. Speaking with Dexerto, Mikkelsen echoed what many James Bond fans have been saying for some time, choosing MCU actor and Luther star Idris Elba as the perfect actor to next pick up the licence to kill.

“I think that Idris Elba was talked about for a while. I think he’s an amazing actor.”

However, as Mikkelsen himself goes on to point out, Elba’s 52 birthdays could be an issue. The Hannibal star rightly pointed out that Elba is “almost the same age as Daniel, so maybe they’ll have an issue with that.” And you can pretty much guarantee that, despite...

When Cynthia Erivo was announced in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West for the Wizard of Oz prequel, some took it as a personal offense. People began clubbing the actress into the list of race-swapped characters because previously the character was mainly portrayed by White actresses.

However, Wicked‘s performance at the box office is a clap-back to the haters due to one record it broke. Previously, viewers had hoped that the Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga starrer Joker: Folie à Deux would become the highest-grossing musical, but they were left disappointed. Instead, this achievement was won easily by Jon. M Chu’s directorial in a mere eight days.

A scathing non-verbal response to the haters Ariana Grande in Yes, And Music Video | Credits: @ArianaGrande on YouTube

Jon Chu‘s Wicked was not short of scandals ahead of its release, especially due to the two main actresses.

The filmmakers behind Harriet were tasked with securing a Harriet cast talented enough to bring the real-life figures behind Harriet Tubmans story to life alongside some fictional and composite characters. The 2019 film, directed by Kasi Lemmons, follows the events of Tubman's life, focusing on her escape from slavery and subsequent rescue missions as part of the Underground Railroad, which cemented her legacy as an American icon. Harriet takes some creative liberties, including inventing and amalgamating characters for the sake of narrative efficiency, but the broad strokes stay true to history.

Harriet saw a long journey to the screen, with co-writer Gregory Allen Howard first pitching the biopic under the title Freedom Fire in 1994. Howard recalls that one studio executive wanted Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman. Thankfully, the final film is more respectful when it comes to casting Harriets real-life figures. That paid off, as the films talented ensemble is a highlight,...

Ever since its predecessor in 2003, the Luther franchise has been a popular and well-respected storyline. In 2023, Idris Elba made his second appearance as John Luther, the incredible detective who has been locked behind bars, partly continuing the storyline of the television series titled ‘Luther’. In ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’, John Luther must make his escape from prison to continue the pursuit of his nemesis - a diabolical serial killer - and prove himself worthy of being called a detective. Idris Elba stars alongside Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Thomas Coombes, Hattie Morgan, Lauryn Ajufo, and Vincent Regan. Related article: Evolution: Every Ryan Gosling Role From 1995 to 2020, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant Related article: Evolution: Every Henry Cavill Role From 2001 to 2021, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant Related article: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | Hollywood Insider Related article: The 2022 NAACP Image Awards: Full List of Nominees, A History of the Ceremony,...

Villains are crucial in defining Bond movies - casting the right antagonist can shape the tone of Bond 26. Actors must embody the tone and traditions of Bond villains, with some being better suited to the role than others. Bond 26 can either play it safe with an established villain actor or take a risk by making a daring choice.

Although casting the new 007 for Bond 26 remains the most important decision facing the franchise, choosing the right villain could ultimately prove to be equally vital. Bond villains are one of the franchise's most beloved traditions, and they often come to define their movies. It's no coincidence that Goldfinger and Skyfall are considered among the best Bond movies, since Auric Goldfinger and Raoul Silva are also among the best Bond villains. Choosing Bond's antagonist will help shape the tone of Bond 26.

It takes a special kind of actor to play a compelling Bond villain.

Idris Elba (Hijack) and Rebecca Ferguson (Silo) are circling roles in Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow’s next film for Netflix, sources have confirmed to Deadline.

Details as to the roles the pair are playing are under wraps, as are the film’s title and plot, though sources have told Deadline that it will be set at the White House as a national crisis unfolds. The project marks Bigelow’s first feature since the 2017 thriller Detroit, an awards contender produced and distributed by Annapurna Pictures, which starred John Boyega, Will Poulter, Kaitlyn Dever and more.

News of the film was first divulged by Netflix recently during its Upfront presentation in New York. Previously, Bigelow had been developing another Netflix film that never got off the ground — an adaptation of the novel Aurora from David Koepp.

Currently starring in the Apple TV+ thriller series Hijack, which has been renewed for a second season,...

Luther: The Fallen Sun was one of the most highly anticipated crime thrillers of 2023, and fans of the original British television series eagerly awaited its release.

Directed by Jamie Payne and written by Neil Cross, the film serves as the final installment of the Luther story, delivering an action-packed and emotionally charged conclusion to the beloved series.

Cast and Characters Navigation What Is Luther: The Fallen Sun About? 1. Idris Elba (John Luther) – 6ft 2 ½ (189.2 cm) 2. Cynthia Erivo (Odette Raine) – 5ft 0 (152.4 cm) 3. Andy Serkis (David Robey) – 5ft 7 ¼ (170.8 cm) 4. Lauryn Ajufo (Anya Raine) – 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm) 5. Dermot Crowley (Dsu Martin Schenk) – 5ft 8 (172.7 cm) The Supporting Cast of Luther: The Fallen Sun

Idris Elba leads the talented ensemble of actors in the 2023 crime thriller film Luther: The Fallen Sun (Credit: Netflix)

One reason the Luther franchise has been so successful is its talented cast, led by the incomparable Idris Elba in the title role.

What do Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, John Boyega, Cynthia Erivo, Teyonah Parris, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Lauren London, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Angela Bassett all have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re extremely talented, award-winning artists, they’re also starring in . These forthcoming films have everything from government conspiracies to jail-busting detectives, high-stakes heists to planetary wars — and you won’t want to miss any of them.

These seven films — all boasting Black filmmakers, actors or both — are all part of a packed roster of new releases coming your way this year. So grab your calendar and stock up on popcorn, because you’re going to want to know exactly when you’ll be able to hit play on films like Kenya Barris’ You People, the return of Elba’s John Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun, pulpy mystery caper They...

Over hisnearly 30-year career, Idris Elba has played Nelson Mandela, a Baltimore drug kingpin, cowboys past and present, and even the object of Beyoncé’s dangerous fantasy. How’s that for range?

A multihyphenate on-screen and off, the actor is impossible to pin down. He’s a magnetic screen presence who can toggle between mysterious and charming — so charming — with preternatural ease. Still, Elba seems to be most comfortable when he’s dwelling in the gray areas that make flawed characters more fully human. For proof, you need look no further than Dci John Luther, the rule-breaking copper that he portrayed over five seasons of television and now, a feature film. In Luther: The Fallen Sun, Elba returns to the role that earned him a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and four Emmy nominations for a new nail-biting chapter.

Ahead of the release on March 10, it’s an...

British television shows have managed to make their way across the pond and around the world, attracting audiences to their flawlessly written narratives, exciting casts and diverse settings. Detective series have been a growing segment of the finest British shows, deserving to be acknowledged for their triumphant runs.

With a vast range of programs to choose from, viewers can be sure to find something that will suit their preferences. Whether a detective show with a little comedy or breathtaking originality, the best will provide all that a viewer could hope for from such a show.

Luther Has a Strong Psychological Element

Luther TV-MAThriller Where to Watch

*Availability in US

streamrentbuy

Not available

Not available

Dci John Luther is a near-genius murder detective whose brilliant mind can't always save him from the dangerous violence of his passions.

Release DateMay 4, 2010CastIdris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Steven Mackintosh, Indira Varma, Paul McGann, Saskia Reeves,...

Idris Elba, the man, known for portraying some iconic roles throughout his career is known for his diversified roles. From action to serious roles, from deadpan to quirky, Elba is quite a veteran actor who is still relevant in Hollywood.

Elba, being known for portraying the role of Dci John Luther in the iconic BBC series Luther, seems to have hung the iconic Luther coat. In an interview, however, the Hijack actor stated that there are still some things left for John Luther to do!

Idris Elba as John Luther in a still from Luther There Are Some Things Left For Idris Elba’s Luther To Do!

Premiering in 2010, Luther narrated the tale of Dci John Luther. A homicide detective with a penchant for thinking like a murderer helped him solve the cases but he wasn’t much of a social person. The series became so famous that Luther ran...

Idris Elba is optimistic that a movie sequel will happen, but he currently does not have a script. The Fallen Sun ended with Luther being approached by the government, but his fate is uncertain. There are many directions that the next movie could take depending on the creative input from writer Neil Cross and producer Elba.

Actor Idris Elba believes that a sequel to Luther: The Fallen Sun has a good chance of happening. Debuting as a show on the BBC in 2010, Luther starred Elba as the titular detective, John Luther, as he seeks to solve a series of grisly crimes and find inner peace in the process. The series was a huge hit, running for five seasons and 20 episodes, before concluding in January 2019. The Fallen Sun, which was released on Netflix in 2023, found Luther trying to stop a serial killer who uses technology to murder his victims.

In an interview with Collider,...

Exclusive: Chernin Entertainment has preemptively acquired an untitled erotic thriller pitch from Emily Siegel, Deadline can exclusively reveal.

Chernin had no comment and the logline for the film is being kept under wraps.

Siegel’s first feature script, the thriller Story, was named to the 2020 Black List. Most recently, she was enlisted to adapt the New York Times bestselling novel We Were Never Here for Berlanti Productions and Netflix. In addition to being a screenwriter, Siegel has published two books, one of which was a New York Times bestseller. Her work as a journalist has been featured in Vanity Fair, Forbes and The Washington Post.

Most recently producing A24’s acclaimed musical comedy Dicks: The Musical and Luther: The Fallen Sun, as well as shows like See and Truth Be Told, Chernin Entertainment’s upcoming slate on the film side includes Netflix’s action comedy Back in Action, starring Jamie Foxx...

Netflix added nearly 30 million global paid subscribers in 2023, though it might have watered down its hit pool in the process.

According to a new study by British streaming-data company Digital i, Netflix had fewer than half the global hits in 2023 (10) than it had in 2022 (22). Digital i defines a “hit” as an original movie or a series that was watched by at least 30 percent of Netflix’s subscriber base in North America, EU, and Latam.

The long list of 2022 Netflix hits goes like this: “Wednesday” (61.8%), “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (53.3%), “Stranger Things 4” (48.0%), “The Adam Project” (47.9%), “Knives Out 2” (45.9%), “The Gray Man” (42.4%), “The Watcher” (41.9%), “The Tinder Swindler” (38.0%), “Inventing Anna” (37.5%), “The Sandman” (35.7%), “Senior Year” (35.6%), “1899” (34.7%), “Bridgerton” Season 2 (34.5%), “Troll” (34.0%), “Enola Holmes 2” (33.7%), “Luckiest Girl Alive” (33.4%), “Harry & Meghan” (32.7%), “Hustle” (32.6%), “The Man from Toronto” (31.5%), “Purple Hearts” (31.3%), “Me Time” (31.1%), “Day Shift” (31.0%), and “Falling for Christmas” (30.8%).

Unless otherwise noted, each series above is a first season (and...

Peter Dinklage is set to voice Dr. Dillamond in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of 'Wicked'.Jim Orr, Universal Pictures President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, shared the news about the 54-year-old 'Game of Thrones' star's casting during the studio's CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas on Wednesday (10.04.24).Dillamond is a goat professor at Shiz University and a mentor to protagonist Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who sings the song 'Something Bad' to warn her dark forces threatening the speaking animals of the Land of Oz.In the original Broadway musical in 2003, William Youmans had the part.Ariana Grande, 30, joins Cynthia as Glinda (The Good Witch) in the two-part adaptation, which tells the backstory of 'The Wizard of Oz' and how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.The films are helmed by John M. Chu and the first part is set for release on November 27, 2024, with the second part to...

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will lead the cast of Universal Pictures' Wicked, bringing the Broadway musical's magic to the big screen in a two-part feature film. Wicked: Part One will be released on November 27, 2024, followed by Part Two in December 2025, adapting the Broadway musical for a wider audience. The film will explore the origins of Elphaba and Glinda as they clash over the corrupt government of Oz, with a talented ensemble cast from numerous films and franchises.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead the cast of Universal Pictures' Wicked, bringing the Broadway musical’s magic to the big screen in the form of a two-part feature film. Wicked: Part One will hit theaters on November 27, 2024, and Part Two is slated to arrive in December 2025. The Wicked movie will adapt the Broadway musical for an expanded audience, drawing direct inspiration from the production that premiered in 2003. The musical was based...

Murder Mystery 3 is highly likely to be made due to the popularity of the first two movies on Netflix, with Murder Mystery 2 ranking as the 39th most-watched show and the fourth most-watched movie between January and June. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's star power and comedic chemistry contribute to the success of the Murder Mystery movies, as they bring a built-in audience with their acting abilities and reputation for making excellent comedy movies together. The Murder Mystery movies tap into beloved tropes and formulas that are popular with audiences, such as the classic storyline of a strained couple getting involved in an investigation and the use of murder mystery tropes like bluffing the murderer and everyone being a suspect.

With the new streaming data from Netflix, Murder Mystery 3 – Adam Sandler’s comedy sequel to Murder Mystery 2 – is nearly guaranteed. Netflix’s Murder Mystery movie series follows Nick and Audrey Spitz,...

Pictures via Netflix

2023 has come to a close, and it is time to take a look at the winners and losers of the year among Netflix’s Original titles.

For this review, we used our very own Cve metric after 14 days to have more titles to compare on a more equal foot, and we also used IMDb to get a sense of the most liked titles of the year.

Editor’s note: This first appeared on Netflix n Chiffres, a Substack newsletter that covers streaming SVOD viewership in detail. Any views marked with an asterisk indicate that they’re an estimated figure.

Let’s embark!

Table of Contents 1. English Language Films 2. International films. 3. Debut English-speaking series 4. Returning English-speaking series 5. International Debut Series 6. Returning International Netflix Series 7. Animated series 8. Documentaries 9. Documentary series 10. Reality TV 11. The flops of 2023. 1. English Language Films

Let’s begin with one category with some heavy hitters – Netflix’s lineup of English-language movies.

It’s here, the newest Netflix thriller adapted from one of Harlan Coben’s ludicrously twist-packed, secret-filled crime mystery novels. This one comes adapted by Danny Brocklehurst with the same UK team that made The Five, Safe, The Stranger and Stay Close, and once again stars Richard Armitage in a central role.

Fool Me Once is the story of military helicopter pilot Maya Stern, a captain who loses her career in a scandal and suffers two bereavements in short succession. It’s fast-paced, kind of ridiculous viewing that takes you down an extremely twisty path before tying everything up in a big not-exactly-watertight-but-it’ll-do-fine knot – which makes it pretty perfect viewing for a brain-fogged New Year’s Day after all of December’s indulgences.

Find out more about the cast of this one below, and happy binge-watching!

Michelle Keegan as Captain Maya Stern

Brassic, Our Girl and former Coronation Street...

The Mother was a big hit for Netflix, solidifying Jennifer Lopez as the streaming platform's newest action star.

An action thriller that was released on Netflix in May, The Mother stars Lopez as the titular character, a mysterious operative who teams up with an FBI agent (Omari Hardwick) to rescue her kidnapped daughter. More recently, Netflix released its viewership numbers for the first half of 2023, and it revealed that The Mother was the most-watched movie during that time and the 14th most-watched title overall. It garnered 249 million viewing hours, placing it above Luther: The Fallen Sun (209.7 million), Extraction 2 (201.8 million), You People (181.8 million), and Murder Mystery 2 (173.6 million).

Related She-Hulk Boss Hopes to Bring Jennifer Lopez Into an MCU Project She-Hulk: Attorney at Law director Kat Coiro reveals her desire to have Jennifer Lopez join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

The Mother was directed by Niki Caro,...

Luther: The Fallen Sun is a hit on Netflix, amassing 209.7 million hours viewed in the first half of 2023. The movie is the second most-watched during that period, behind The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez. Luther: The Fallen Sun is the 20th highest-ranked title on Netflix's overall chart, which includes both movies and TV shows.

Luther: The Fallen Sun quietly became a massive streaming hit. The movie is a sequel to the BBC One crime drama Luther, which starred Idris Elba as the troubled Detective Chief Inspector John Luther and originally ran for five seasons between 2010 and 2019. Fallen Sun, which premiered on Netflix in February 2023, sees Elba return to the role for a new adventure that follows Luther breaking out of prison to track down a dangerous serial killer.

Netflix has released their first-ever Engagement Report, sharing comprehensive viewership data for the first half of 2023, between January and June. The report reveals...

The Mother was the most-viewed movie on Netflix between January and June 2023, with 249.9 million hours viewed. The movie ranked 14th overall in terms of viewership on the platform during that time. It surpassed other popular Netflix original titles during that timeframe, including Extraction 2 and Luther: The Fallen Sun.

The Mother has proven to be an enormous hit for Netflix. The action movie, which was helmed by Mulan (2020) director Niki Caro, starred Jennifer Lopez in the title role as an assassin fighting to protect her daughter, who was placed with a foster family when she went into hiding. The ensemble cast of the project included Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci, and Gael García Bernal.

Netflix has now released their first Engagement Report, sharing their content's viewership numbers for the period between January and June 2023. Although the The Mother released in May, just a month before the end of this period,...

Idris Elba dominated the action genre in 2023, with his projects Luther: The Fallen Sun, Extraction 2, and Hijack receiving positive audience responses and impressive streaming numbers. Elba's Netflix projects, Luther: The Fallen Sun and Extraction 2, were both huge successes, collectively streaming for over 415 million hours in 2023. Additionally, Elba's Apple TV miniseries Hijack garnered favorable reviews and was streamed for a total of 5.95 million hours, solidifying Elba's success outside of Netflix.

2023 was a big year for action movies, and streaming data confirms that one actor reigned supreme over the year's releases: Idris Elba. Luther: The Fallen Sun, Extraction 2, and the Apple series Hijack were all released this year to positive audience responses, and the three share one very important common denominator: actor Idris Elba. It has clearly been a busy year for Elba, and his 2023 action projects are all available for streaming on Netflix and Apple TV right now.

Hello, Insiders. It’s the penultimate international newsletter before the holiday season, but there’s no festive slowdown in TV and film news just yet. Jesse Whittock here taking you through. Read on and sign up here.

Netflix Metrics The Glory

Data dump: Since its inception — and especially since it became an original content player — Netflix has wrestled with releasing viewing data publicly. This week, its improving levels of transparency reached new heights with the release of What We Watched, a global report on 18,000+ titles from its library (equating to 99% of its catalog) covering the first six months of 2023. Data transparency was one of the key issues in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA contract negotiations, and while these new semi-annual reports aren’t the full picture, they provide insight deeper than anything released before. Katie Campione’s extensive analysis, on everything from data to the timing of the release, is well worth a read here.

Jennifer Lopez's movie "The Mother" was Netflix's most popular title of 2023, surpassing highly anticipated sequels and major releases. Despite mixed reception from critics, "The Mother" is a success with audiences, becoming a streaming record-breaker and having a strong opening weekend. The success of "The Mother" bodes well for Jennifer Lopez's future collaboration with Netflix, including her upcoming film "Atlas" and potential sequels or franchise opportunities.

The biggest movie on Netflix in 2023 isn't one that anyone would expect, but it's a good thing for an upcoming 2024 release. Netflix has been sharing more details about its viewership data in recent years, and the streaming platform has just revealed its most in-depth report about what its subscribers have been watching. The data, called What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report, covers more than 18,000 titles, with both original and licensed films, and nearly 100 billion hours viewed. The most surprising information found in...

Netflix released a huge amount of streaming data Tuesday — viewing totals for more than 18,000 movies and seasons of TV for the first half of 2023.

Taken as a whole, it’s almost an overwhelming amount of information that speaks to Netflix’s ability to engage its huge subscriber base (just under 239 million for the end of the period covered in the data dump) — and maybe not a ton more? The stats presented are for total hours viewed, which is how Netflix measures engagement across its portfolio — but it’s also not the metric the streamer uses to order its weekly top 10 lists. For those, it uses the “view” formula of total watch time divided by running time, which somewhat levels the playing field for films and series with shorter run times. (And there are, of course, economic factors and other metrics that influence decision-making that the company will continue to keep in house.

The past 24 hours have been awash in headlines about Netflix’s What We Watched report: an information dump that many analysts considered the most transparent accounting of user data that the streamer has ever released.

The report tracked user engagement using an “hours watched” metric – meaning how many hours a piece of content was viewed, as opposed to how many individual users watched it. The report is heavy with TV series because, as the company noted, the amount of hours in a TV program are much greater than that of a standalone feature. But some movies clawed to the top of the ranking, which helps indicate how films travel on the platform.

Here are the top ten films – eight of which Netflix developed or financed — that appear in the report, which tracked hours watched from January to June of 2023:

“The Mother”

Jennifer Lopez can ride into 2024 knowing she was the queen of Netflix film,...

Netflix further prized open the lid to its black box of data on Tuesday, with the streamer publishing a list of viewing figures for nearly 2,000 titles in its library.

The ratings dump covers the first half of 2023 and is measured as “hours viewed,” which departs from Netflix’s publication of “views,” the metric that it began using this year to rank its Top 10 lists.

Hours viewed puts shorter content at a significant disadvantage, while longer series (usually dramas) stand to benefit, but the figures do still offer a rare insight into Netflix subscriber behavior.

U.S. films and series unsurprisingly dominate Netflix’s list, with political conspiracy thriller The Night Agent topping the pile with 812M hours viewed. Little wonder Netflix renewed the series so swiftly.

The Brits were heavily represented, even if the first half of 2023 appeared a little light on new UK originals, with the likes of Sex Education,...

Exclusive: Priscilla Parish has quietly stepped down as the head of drama at BBC Studios after four years.

Parish joined the BBC’s commercial production unit in October 2019 from Line of Duty and Bodyguard producer World Productions.

Her departure was not announced by BBC Studios, but the company confirmed the news to Deadline. Her replacement is expected to be announced soon.

Mark Linsey, president of scripted at BBC Studios Productions, said: “We want to thank Priscilla for all her work and wish her all the best for the future.”

Parish has overseen shows including BAFTA-winner Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. A second season recently launched with Bella Ramsey and Jodie Whittaker.

Also on BBC Studios’ slate is the upcoming Kidnapped, which will dramatize the abduction of model Chloe Ayling. Parish was also an executive producer on Netflix feature Luther: The Fallen Sun.

BBC Studios has suffered some blows in recent years,...

Behold! Netflix’s Geeked Week is upon us and the streamer is already delivering some exciting content. Known for her adventurous roles on the platform’s hit sci-fi series, Stranger Things, and the on-screen adaptation of Nancy Springer’s mystery novel collection, Enola Holmes, Millie Bobby Brown is hopping into the fantasy realm for her next project, Damsel. A poster released today reveals a new peek of the film outside a one-off image and Netflix’s sizzle reel, which was dropped several months ago and featured sneak peeks of other 2023 productions including Luther: The Fallen Sun and The Killer.

Exclusive: Golden Balls is delivering ratings riches for Netflix.

Beckham, the documentary in which David and Victoria Beckham open up their lives, has scored Netflix’s biggest audience of the year in the UK by a comfortable margin.

The Fisher Stevens-directed series launched on October 4 and amassed 3.8M viewers in the week ending October 8, according to Barb, the UK’s official TV audience research body.

Produced by Beckham’s Studio 99 and Ventureland, the second episode in the series also performed well, netting nearly 2.9M viewers.

The figures only include people watching on television sets, meaning that viewing on mobile devices does not feature in the numbers.

The two Beckham episodes occupied positions 18 and 39 respectively in Barb’s list of the most-watched UK shows in the week to October 8.

For context, the highest-rated show of the week was BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, which was seen by 8.4M viewers,...

Netflix is developing a limited series based on the life of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.

The series will be based on the critically acclaimed book “JFK: Coming Of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956” by Fredrik Logevall. The book, originally published in 2020, is the first part of a planned two-volume biography of Kennedy. Part one examines his life from his birth up to his time as the junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.

Eric Roth is attached to write and executive produce the project. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping of Chernin Entertainment will also executive produce. The search is currently on for a showrunner.

Reps for Netflix did not immediately respond to request for comment.

According to sources, Netflix sees the series as something like an American version of “The Crown,” their highly successful show about Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family,...

A Haunting in Venice is the third entry in Kenneth Branagh‘s Hercule Poirot film franchise. Directed by Branagh himself from a screenplay by Michael Green, the film is based on a 1969 novel titled Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie. A Haunting in Venice sees the return of Hercule Poirot as he takes on another murder mystery during a Halloween Seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy. So, if you loved A Haunting in Venice here are some similar movies you should check out next.

The Pale Blue Eye (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Synopsis: West Point, 1830. In the early hours of a gray winter morning, a cadet is found dead. But after the body arrives at the morgue, tragedy becomes savagery when it’s discovered that the young man’s heart has been skillfully removed. Fearing irreparable damage to the fledgling military academy, its leaders turn to a local detective,...

The Good Mother is a crime thriller film directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, he also worked on the script with Madison Harrison. The film follows the story of a grieving mother who teams up with his son’s pregnant girlfriend to find the person who killed her son. The Good Mother stars Hillary Swank in the lead role with Olivia Cooke, Jack Reynor, and Hopper Penn starring in supporting roles. So, if you liked The Good Mother here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Wind River (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The Weinstein Company

Synopsis: Wind River is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death.

Whether it’s as an R&b singer, a professional kickboxer, or a world class DJ (mixing under the name DJ Big Driis), Idris Elba has become quite the renaissance man. And, oh we almost forgot, he’s also an award-winning actor.

From his first major gig in a 1995 episode of “Absolutely Fabulous,” Elba began his celebrated career working steadily on television, work which lead to two iconic roles — as drug dealer Stringer Bell on HBO’s “The Wire” and as dogged police detective John Luther in BBC’s “Luther,” which earned Elba both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as four Primetime Emmy nominations. He reprised the role in a 2023 Netflix feature film, “Luther: The Fallen Sun.”

Elba soon moved over to films, first making a splash with audiences around the world with his 2013 biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” for which he received another Golden Globe nomination.

The Netflix live action adaptation of beloved anime One Piece has a new poster, and it finds Monkey D. Luffy setting sail with the rest of his crew. Coming courtesy of Netflix, One Piece will bring the misadventures of the Straw Hat Pirates to live action life, with the newly released poster offering another look at the main cast of characters. You can check out the new poster for One Piece below.

Actress Emily Rudd, who will star as Nami in the Netflix series, has revealed that the adaptation will retain the heart alongside the wacky adventures. “I think there have been crazier shows done. And yes, it's a little bit silly and a little bit wacky,” she said in an interview conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. “But again, I think something that we have really focused on is just the heart of the show. It's a really beautiful story.

Los Angeles, July 13 (Ians) Actor Idris Elba, best known for his roles in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’, ‘The Suicide Squad’ and the popular British crime-thriller show ‘Luther’, has recently spoken on the prospects of doing a second ‘Luther’ film after ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’, telling people to keep their fingers crossed.

According to The Sun, the actor said that while he loves the character and is very happy about how well the movie performed, he’d like to give it some breathing room before making another one so while he is excited for where the character can go, he toldfanstokeeptheirfingerscrossed.

He had also earlier said: “I’m hoping to make another one. I love Luther. I love that character, and I love where I can possibly take him, as a story and as a character.”

Picking off from the end of ‘Luther’, ‘The Fallen Sun’ movietellsthe story of a now disgraced and dishonoured,...

Idris Elba is hopeful for more adventures as the no-nonsense detective Luther following the release of the Netflix movie, Luther: The Fallen Sun. Speaking with Collider, Elba revealed that Luther: The Fallen Sun, the long-awaited feature-length return of Dci John Luther, was a major success for the streaming platform, with the actor now eager to make more Luther movies.

"Yeah, it did really well. Luther ended up being one of the top five most streamed films on Netflix, which is an incredible achievement, since it was the first film from the television show. I’m hoping to make another one. I love Luther. I love that character, and I love where I can possibly take him, as a story and as a character. So, yeah, keep your fingers crossed."

Released back in March, Luther: The Fallen Sun is the epic continuation of the award-winning television saga, which first began in...

There had been rumblings of a Luther movie for close to a decade, and Idris Elba finally got his chance with Luther: The Fallen Sun. The film was released in select theaters and on Netflix earlier this year, but Elba is ready to jump back into Luther’s world.

While speaking with Collider, Idris Elba said that Luther: The Fallen Sun performed well on Netflix and that a sequel is a possibility. “Yeah, it did really well. Luther ended up being one of the top five most streamed films on Netflix, which is an incredible achievement, since it was the first film from the television show,” Elba said. “I’m hoping to make another one. I love Luther. I love that character, and I love where I can possibly take him, as a story and as a character. So, yeah, keep your fingers crossed.“

Related Idris Elba to star in...

Exclusive: When it comes to breaking into the most-watched titles on British television, Netflix is not exactly prolific, but the streamer seems to have found a hit in Matilda The Musical.

Working Title’s reimagining of Roald Dahl’s iconic novel premiered on June 25 and was watched by 2.6M people on TV sets, according to Barb, the UK’s official audience research group.

Matilda helped Netflix crack Barb’s weekly list of the top 50 titles in the UK for the first time in nearly four months. The streamer’s last entry was Luther: The Fallen Sun, which managed 3M viewers in March.

Matilda becomes Netflix’s seventh most-watched movie since Barb began reporting viewing figures for streamers in November 2021.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery spent two weeks in Barb’s list of the top 50 shows and films in the UK, amassing a total of 18.5M viewers in that time.

The last couple of years alone have seen Idris Elba showcase a rather broad range. From gunslinging villains (Rufus Buck in The Harder They Fall) and beloved yet destructive TV detectives given a big-screen moment (Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun), via wish-granting genies (The Djinn in Three Thousand Years of Longing) to returning Norse gods (Heimdall in Thor: Love and Thunder), animated video game characters (Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and a man who takes on a lion with his bare hands (Dr. Nate Samuels in Beast), it’s been a rather eclectic mix.

Hijack is — also — something altogether different.

The seven-part series, which launches on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, June 28 and which Elba also exec produced via his Green Door production company (and the solitary projects from its now-ended deal with the streamer), sees him play Sam Nelson, a business negotiator on board a flight from Dubai...

When Lost was at its height, Idris Elba passed on the show in favor of a small and original IP. Lost follows a group of survivors from a plane crash as they navigate life on a seemingly deserted island and uncover numerous mysteries along the way. The show features several stars, including Matthew Fox (Party of Five), Evangeline Lilly (Ant-Man), Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries), and Michelle Rodriguez (Fast X).

In an interview with That Peter Crouch Podcast, Elba explained why he never ended up in the star-studded cast of Lost. Given the choice between Luther and Lost, Elba elected to return to the UK and create a franchise of his own. Lost continued on without him and continued to dominate the media landscape until and through its divisive ending. Check out his quote below, via Yahoo!:

"The woman that runs Apple TV+, she was the commissioner that brought...