Netflix gives major update on Peaky Blinders movie

You haven’t seen the last of the Peaky Blinders. After much speculation, and some near assurances from Steven Knight that the popular crime drama would continue with a movie following Peaky Blinders season 6, Netflix has apparently made it official, giving the project a green light, as well as confirming some key returns.

According to Deadline, in addition to Netflix moving forward with the Peaky Blinders movie, it has been confirmed that Cillian Murphy is set to return as his iconic character Thomas Shelby. He told Deadline, "It seems like Tommy Shelby wasn't finished with me. … It is very gratifying to be recollaborating with Steven Knight and Tom Harper on the film version of Peaky Blinders. This is one for the fans."

The movie, based on a script written by Knight, is going to be directed by Tom Harper, who directed the final three episodes of Peaky Blinders season 1, with production expected to start later in 2024. Though Knight has been quoted as saying the movie would be set during World War II, plot details are being kept under wraps.

Peaky Blinders premiered in the UK in September 2013 on BBC Two (it would move to BBC One with its final two seasons), then landed on Netflix in the US in 2014. The show, which followed the Shelby family's rise from a Birmingham street gang to power players, ran for six seasons, with the final season airing in 2022.

The show certainly set itself up to be continued (SPOILERS ahead if you are not caught up with the series). After believing that he had a terminal brain tumor, Tommy Shelby did everything he could to make sure his family was safe from their enemies, including his cousin Michael Gray (Finn Cole), though it came at a great cost to him (his wife Lizzie leaves him and he puts himself into exile from his family). However, Tommy discovers he was lied to and that he is not going to die. With evidence of his criminal past destroyed, his path is clear in front of him, but it's unlike Tommy to just let things lie.

While Murphy is coming off an Oscar Best Actor win for Oppenheimer, many still consider Thomas Shelby to be his most iconic character. The same goes for the rest of the Peaky Blinders cast, which included the likes of Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Natasha O’Keefe, Ian Peck, Harry Kirton, Tom Hardy, Dylan McCormick and the late Helen McCrory. However, outside of Murphy, no cast members have been confirmed for the movie.

The earliest we are likely to get the Peaky Blinders movie is 2025, but that just means you have plenty of time to watch (or rewatch) the series before then. It is available on Netflix in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.