Applause Entertainment is developing an Indian adaptation of BBC’s hit crime drama Luther. The British series, starring Idris Elba as troubled detective John Luther, completed its fifth season in January. The show also features Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan, a brilliant woman with psychopathic tendencies, with whom Luther develops a tumultuous friendship.

Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair told Variety that the content studio will produce the series and then sell the final product to Indian streaming platforms.

Applause had similarly presented the Indian adaptation of BBC drama Criminal Justice, which was produced by BBC Studios India and released on Hotstar on April 5. Criminal Justice stars Vikrant Massey as a taxi driver who is accused of killing a woman with whom he has had a one-night stand. Pankaj Tripathi plays his lawyer, and the cast includes Jackie Shroff, Anupriya Goenka and Mita Vashisht.

Applause has also reportedly collaborated with Hotstar to release Indian adaptations of the British comedy The Office and the Israeli drama Hostages as well as Nagesh Kukunoor’s political drama City of Dreams, which will be out on May 3.

Variety said Applause Entertainment had recently acquired the rights to an Indian adaptation of UnREAL, an American drama centred on a young reality television producer and her ruthless boss.

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Luther Season 5 trailer (2019).