Among the new television series receiving full-season orders from FOX this week is Lucifer, a show based on the DC Comics iteration of the lord of the underworld that was introduced during Neil Gaiman’s critically praised run on The Sandman comic book series.
The network debuted the first trailer for Lucifer shortly after announcing that production of the first season had received the green light, and the brief preview makes it clear that the series diverges significantly from its source material.
Rush actor Tom Ellis plays the title role in the series, which explores what happens when the Lord of Hell decides to quit his job and move to Los Angeles. While that aspect of the series remains true to the comic book series, the television character’s decision to help the Los Angeles Police Department catch criminals is a pretty major departure from the more heady subject matter tackled by his comics counterpart.
Ellis is joined in the cast by Chicago Fire actress Lauren German as the LAPD detective who’s strangely immune to Lucifer’s charms, as well as Spartacus actress Lesley-Ann Brandt as a demon in human form who’s allied with Lucifer. D.B. Woodside (24) plays the angel Amenadiel, who’s tasked with convincing Lucifer to return to his realm in the underworld that he abandoned.
While Gaiman introduced the DC Comics version of Lucifer that inspired the series, it was writer Mike Carey who authored the popular, self-titled Lucifer series that ran for 75 issues and was published from 2000 to 2006.
The pilot episode of the Lucifer TV series was written by Californication creator Tom Kapinos and directed by Underworld filmmaker Len Wiseman. The series is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Warner Bros. TV, and DC Comics. There’s currently no premiere date set for the series, which is described as “Coming Soon” in the trailer.
