BBC's ‘Luther' to get an Indian remake

New Delhi: BBC Studios has announced an Indian remake of its popular crime thriller Luther. The show that is yet to be titled will be created and developed by Applause Entertainment which describes itself as a content and IP creation studio with a focus on creating premium digital drama series. The studio is a venture of the Aditya Birla Group.

The multi-award-winning series starring Idris Elba is one of BBC Studios’ top exports, with the UK series having sold to over 230 territories. This will be the second Asian version of Luther after the award-winning South Korean remake, Less Than Evil starring Shin Ha-kyun.

“We are pleased to work with Applause Entertainment to deliver high-end drama to our fans in India. Applause is known for its focus on creating premium drama, and we believe that they will be able to do the format justice. We look forward to its success,” said Myleeta Aga, senior vice-president and general manager of South and South East Asia, BBC Studios, in a statement.

Prior to Luther, BBC Studios and Applause Entertainment have worked together on BBC formats The Office and Criminal Justice, of which the latter premiered recently on Star India-owned video streaming service Hotstar.

“We have just produced and premiered an Indian version of Criminal Justice, which has been incredibly well received by the local audience,” Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment, said in a statement. “We at Applause are always on the lookout for premium dramas we can produce for Indian viewers, and are proud to once again partner BBC Studios on Luther. The original Luther has a tremendous international following, and we believe that an Indian version will work very well in our region.”

Luther is the story of a brilliant detective, played by Alba, who gets deeply involved in the dangerous consequences of his cases. It has brought out five seasons so far with Alba garnering multiple awards and nominations for his role.