‘Luther’ creator Neil Cross on why tech is a terrifying tool for villains

in season 3 Luther, released in 2013, Detective Chief Inspector makes clear how he feels about technology and social media. asks Luther during the survey, “Do you understand social networking?” He gets a very blunt “no”. But despite this highly relevant moment of outraged ridicule a decade ago, Luther rapidly learned about the first ever technology-assisted crime. Luther movie, fallen sunIdris Elba returns as everyone’s favorite complex DCI to take on a tech-obsessed cyberpsychopath.

written by Luther Produced by creator Neil Cross and Netflix, fallen sun We see Luthor team up with DCI Odette Rayne (Cynthia Erivo) to take on a formidable foe: Andy Serkis creeps us out as villainous David Robbie. It uses particularly nasty forms of online hostilities to stalk victims, catfish, intimidate, use physical technological devices such as GoPros, smartphones, Bluetooth speakers to commit terrorism, and much more. In the face of a larger and more sinister Internet-dependent scheme, Robey uses the power of shame against his target.

It’s oddly easy for him to do so, given the amount of information we post online and the ever-present need to increase the security of our devices. . many about you, you should do it Blurring your home in Google Street View means that strangers can hear your Alexa chat perfectly, and what’s on your phone may not be as private as you thought. )

In one scene, Luther himself talks about the power of shame and how the internet has changed the fear of being exposed, even if it’s just a tiny bit of embarrassment. Fear of shame is worth more than fear of death. ” Luther A series of series has long delved into the potential for technology to terrorize, such as vigilante killer Tom Marwood’s Punishment Voting website in Season 3.

Mashable sat down with Cross to unravel the technical hazards woven into it. Luther and fallen sunfrom the early internet urban legends at the heart of the film, the Red Room, a dark web space that alludes to real-time violence, to the nature of online vulnerability and the power of shame itself.

The interview below has been edited for brevity.

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Shannon Connellan: You’ve always incorporated elements of technology. Lutherbut for Andy Serkis’ character David Robbie, what drew him to his particular brand of online animosity in this film?

Neil Cross: I’m not necessarily the most technically clear person in the world. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s peace, love or understanding that binds us as a species. We all fear the same things.one of people’s favorite secrets Luther It’s about articulating a shared fear. The fear Robey expresses is current, the vector is technology, but the fear itself is older than that. Freud would have called it the superego, Proust would have called it God. There is always a feeling of being judged, and that feeling of being watched is what prevents us from carrying out our worst instincts. was not true.

But now, as a species, we find it incredibly difficult to put that shyness, bestial instincts, secret self, most deeply private side of ourselves into play on the public space, the internet. It seems to me that they are delighted. People do it under the convenient illusion that no one is watching.But unlike in the past when there was no God watching us, now I think someone is watching us. teeth Frankly, this is a thought that scares me.

SC: You mentioned shame, which is a big theme throughout the movie, and the power of shame. In one of your lines Luther said: “The fear of shame is worth more than the fear of death.” But there is an irony to this. It’s all about how much we put ourselves online.

NC: A familiar story from Cold War spy fiction. Gay spies have turned because of their particular shame.So it’s something that can be deeply weaponized against us. I think that in many situations the fear of shame is stronger than the fear of death than we might first imagine. what they carried A short story by Tim O’Brien about his experiences in Vietnam. The central one is that he obtained the call-up papers, went fishing on one of the Great Lakes the week before he went, and the man who owned the hotel rowed him across the lake and was told nothing. The old man rowed him out into the Canadian shallows. All he has to do is get off that ship or set foot in Canada. And he thinks about his mom, dad, brothers, sisters, and his girlfriend, and what they’re going to say or think about him. decided to go to

SC: It’s a powerful force.

NC: It drives much of what we do for good or ill.

SC: I was fascinated by the fact that you used a very early internet urban legend, The Red Room, to explore. What drew you to the concept?

NC: i will keep it Luther is not really a crime drama, but a monster of the week story. It has little to do with the psychology of an actual serial killer. It essentially takes place in a much more folksy space. London itself is a kind of folklore Brothers Grimm version of London, and the Red Room belongs to that kind of folklore.

At three o’clock in the morning, if I can imagine the terrible things that one human being did to another human being in history, my eyes open to the feeling that someone did it.

I am fascinated by folklore such as Big Bad Wolf, Shaggy Hand with Axe, Hitchhiker, Red Room. Also, at three o’clock in the morning he opens his eyes, feeling that if he can imagine the terrible things that one human being has done to another human being in history, that someone has done it. This means, logically speaking, people doing worse things than you can imagine doing to each other, literally unimaginable things. I wonder if urban legends don’t exist in the real world because someone brought them to life.

SC: Were you involved in designing the website for the film Red Room?

NC: I was very specific about what the website should look like. I made it better than the concept of

SC: I don’t want to see that moodboard. It’s terrifying. With its red room and online voyeur connotations, this has been talked about a lot. Lutherwhich is not specific fallen sunIt reminded me of Season 3, the For Kaitlyn website, performing in front of an audience, and even Season 2 with Cameron Pell. Is this an extension of these themes through David Robbie’s character?

NC: See, I never really thought about it. I think it’s probably a function of the obvious fact that I have no friends and spend most of my life on the internet. I mean, it’s not uncommon now that I have friends all over the world I’ve never met. But I never thought of it as a link theme. Lutherbut you are totally right.

SC: The voting element was a little different, but the one Robey provided was a terrifying element. On his website for Tom Marwood in Season 3, it was used differently. Joining online was really scary.

NC: Well, I generally find online participation scary. It’s very difficult to articulate something like this without rehashing the truism, but we lose the essential essence of our ego when we join the Internet directly. And as a mob, I am included in this even though I am not a part of it. I think.

SC: You have to bring in the lead… In the previous season, Schenk asked Luthor, “What do you know about social networking?” And he’s like “nothing.” Where does Luther’s character sit for you in this modern landscape of cybercriminals?

NC: When Idris and I and Jamie met with Netflix very early on where we were talking about the look and feel of the film, we were articulating a sort of displeasure about certain modern cinematography. Many modern cinematography have some similarities. I didn’t want that…but I said during the meeting that what we were trying to say was Luther’s record. Both he (Luther) and I are basically analog people. Well, I think we are all basically analog beings, except that we are analog beings moving through an increasingly digital world.

SC: It was interesting to see how many ways technology was used as a tool in the film. I’m using a Bluetooth speaker and a GoPro, and the phrase ‘hold it with GoPro points’ crossed my mind. I have never been so afraid of these devices. Have you gone beyond social media to these devices and asked what’s going on here?

NC: There’s a sort of Cronenberg-esque aspect to these devices, popping up like tumors in kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Spook, and at the time it was the subject of some debate, how many times we appeared on camera on any given day, and could not have a say in the matter at all. and everything is recorded in some way. I recently experienced ChatGTP for the first time. I wish JG Ballard was alive.

SC: There was a scene where Robey put on a digital mask.Felt like another homage to previous villains Luthor took on — there are plenty of scary masks over the years LutherWas it a consequential choice or a natural outgrowth of the character?

NC: Neil likes masks. It goes back to its central folk element. I wouldn’t be surprised if a full Herne the Hunter appears in his Lutherland at some point. It connects it to the Brothers Grimm, the Boogeyman, these subconscious fears. Masks are just horrible.

Luther: Fallen Sun Currently streaming on Netflix.(opens in new tab)