The massively popular BBC crime drama wrapped its sixth series in April 2022, with 5.2 million spectators tuning in to watch the action-packed final episode, “Lock and Key”. Yet, showrunner Steven Knight promised that Peaky Blinders would return in the form of a movie.
Set in the early 20th century in Birmingham, the series centres on a family of Irish and Romani ancestry, the Shelbys, and their ruthless street gang, the Peaky Blinders. Led by the cunning middle son and former World War I major, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy), the family starts building their empire by focusing on betting and gambling, just as many do nowadays at sites like btccasino. As the Shelbys’ fortune and influence grow and the tides of history pull, violent conflict and enemies multiply—from corrupt officers to American gangsters and fascist politicians.
Throughout its six-season run, Peaky Blinders received widespread acclaim for its original plot, stylish cinematography and powerful performances from Murphy, Paul Anderson, Helen McCrory, Joe Cole, Sophie Rundle and Tom Hardy. The series went on to win two British Academy Television Craft Awards for Best Director and Best Photography awards, and two Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming awards for Best Actor (Murphy) and Best Actress (Helen McCrory).
The series’ popularity sparked a number of related media, including the Peaky Blinders: Mastermind video game and the virtual reality game Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, released for Meta Quest 2 in March of 2023.
It comes as no surprise then, that Steven Knight decided to expand the Peaky Blinders story beyond its sixth and final season. In an interview with Variety, Knight revealed that the team behind the show had originally considered a seventh season. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team ended up losing a year of production. “So we put our heads together and thought that it would be a good idea to do a movie instead of doing series seven,” Knight said.
As the Peaky Blinders movie is taking the place of the seventh season, fans can expect a sequel to pick up where season six left off. In the “Lock and Key” finale, Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson) avenges his aunt’s death by killing the IRA assassins in a shoutout in Garrison Lane. Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton), the youngest brother, is expelled from the family by newcomer Duke (Conrad Khan). Michael Gray (Finn Cole) is finally released from prison and killed by Thomas. Finally, Tommy Shelby, who believed he was dying of tuberculoma, discovers that his diagnosis was a hoax by his enemy, the fascist Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin). While initially planning to kill the doctor who falsely diagnosed him, Tommy changes his mind and heads off on his horse ready to make a new life.
Knight has remained tight-lipped on the details of the movie’s plot, telling Variety, “It’s a fully formed idea and it has a beginning, middle and end.” Speaking on the Heart Breakfast show back in July of 2022, the showrunner said, “I’m writing it [the script] right now. I’m nearly done writing it, and we’re going to shoot it… I’m setting up some film and television studios in Digbeth in Birmingham.” Phase one of the new Digbeth Loc Studios is set to be completed during the Summer of 2023, although the first on-site filming isn’t expected to begin until October.
However, it remains unclear when the movie will start production. Cillian Murphy recently cast doubt on the project’s development, saying, “If there’s more story there, I’d love to do it, but it has to be right.” The actor further added, “Steve Knight wrote 36 hours of television, and we left on such a high. I’m really proud of that last series. So, it would have to feel legitimate and justified to do more.”
Peaky Blinders seasons one to six can be found on BBC iPlayer right now.
