The ‘Peaky Blinders’ Film Is Officially Happening: Everything We Know About The Cillian Murphy-Led Project
Topline
In the two years since “Peaky Blinders” ended its initial run on the BBC, its lead actor Cillian Murphy has won an Oscar and become a bonafide movie star with the success of last summer’s hit film “Oppenheimer,” but he’ll return to play iconic character of Thomas Shelby and produce a highly anticipated “Peaky Blinders” film for Netflix set to enter production later this year.
Key Facts
– Netflix this week confirmed an untitled “Peaky Blinders” film has been greenlit by the streamer and will be co-produced by Murphy, show creator Steven Knight, Caryn Mandabach (“The Cosby Show,” “Nurse Jackie”) and Guy Heeley (“Locke,” “Summerland”).
– Director Tom Harper will return to helm the movie and the screenplay was written by Knight, who is credited as a writer on each of the original series’ 36 episodes.
– Details about what actors—other than Murphy—will reprise their roles have not yet been announced, but other main characters in the series were played by Paul Anderson (“Legend,” “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”) and Sophie Rundle (“Gentleman Jack,” “Jamestown”).
– The “Peaky Blinders” film is set to start shooting in September in Digbeth, an area in central Birmingham, England, the BBC reported, and will pick up where the sixth and final series of the show left off.
Crucial Quote
“It will be an explosive chapter in the Peaky Blinders story,” Knight said. “No holds barred. Full on Peaky Blinders at war.”
Key Background
“Peaky Blinders” is a period crime drama first released by the BBC in 2013. It ran for six seasons across ten years and received widespread critical acclaim, winning Best Drama Series at the British Academy Television Awards and Best Drama Performance for Murphy at the National Television Awards. The characters in the show are fictional but it is loosely based on the real-life Peaky Blinders street gang that operated in Birmingham, England, through the early 1900s. The show follows the fictional Shelby family, helmed by crime boss Tommy Shelby, as they work to expand their control outside of Birmingham following the first World War.
Tangent
The popularity of “Peaky Blinders” launched a revival of 1920s fashion, including requests for Thomas Shelby’s iconic haircut and newsboy caps, Esquire reported. The Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom even reported a rise in baby names stolen from characters in the show, particularly the names Arthur, Finn and Tommy. Retired professional wrestler and “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Dave Bautista has a tattoo of Murphy’s character on his thigh and Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso” used the “Peaky Blinders” theme song in a third season episode. Super fans have themed their weddings around the popular show, and a themed bar based on the series opened in Manchester in 2018.
What We Don’t Know
When the “Peaky Blinders” movie will be released.
Further Reading:
– Cillian Murphy Will Return as Tommy Shelby in a Peaky Blinders Movie (Forbes)
– Cillian Murphy: Hollywood’s New Leading Man (By Forbes)
– Netflix Reports Record Profits As Subscriber Growth Tops Estimates