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Cillian Murphy has had a busy year, what with starring in the biggest biopic of all time as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. But is that much-rumored Peaky Blinders movie in the actor’s near future? Well, a recent update from Peaky Blinders creator Steve Knight will get fans’ hopes up.
Murphy, of course, portrayed Birmingham gangster leader Tommy Shelby in the British crime drama for six seasons on the BBC. (U.S. fans can check it out with a Netflix subscription.) The series ended in 2022 with—spoiler alert!—Tommy Shelby realizing that he was, in fact, not dying of a brain tumor and making a new start for himself by burning all of his possessions and riding off on a white stallion. It was a finale that seemingly left the door open for a potential Peaky follow-up film.
What Steve Knight has to say about that Peaky Blinders movie
In a December 2023 interview with RadioTimes, Knight not only spoke to the outlet about the new stage adaptation, Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby—here’s how you can watch it online—but also gave an update on the progress of the long-teased movie spinoff.
The creator-screenwriter, who penned all 36 episodes of the period drama and reportedly based elements of the series on family members who were part of local Birmingham gangs, revealed that he was “working on the final bits” of the script for Peaky film:
I’m just working on the final bits of it at the moment. I just sit down at the keyboard and start. It’s a bit like having a dream, for me. You sit there and all this stuff comes, and then you read it back and think, ‘That’s pretty good – but where did it come from?’
As for when production on the movie could materialize, Knight said that fans could expect filming to begin as soon as this summer:
The plan is to start shooting that in the middle of next year.
Someone needs to check in with Cillian Murphy about the news! Though the actor-producer previously told RadioTimes that he’s open to reprising his role as Tommy Shelby “if there’s more story to tell,” his most recent comments on the upcoming film don’t sound so sure.
While attending the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival on Thursday, January 4 where he was being honored with the Desert Palm Achievement Award for his staggering work in Oppenheimer, the Irishman was asked about Peaky movie updates. However, as he told Extra’s Megan Ryte on the red carpet:
I have no update for you. I wish I had, but I don’t…I’m sorry, I have no exclusive.
Do we think Murphy is just playing coy or does he really not know?
Should Peaky Blinders fans even want a movie spinoff?
The prospect of a Peaky movie sequel is a complicated one. Though Peaky Blinders fans like myself (and Margot Robbie) can’t help but want to see Tommy, Arthur, Ada, Lizzie, and the rest of the gun-toting Shelby crew back on screen together, there are others who prefer to stick with the series’ ending. Murphy said as much during his Variety Actors on Actors sit-down with Robbie, during which the Barbie lead fangirled over the actor’s iconic Brummie character and basically begged him to star in the spinoff movie. In reply, Cillian said:
I’m totally open to the idea but you know, I also do think it was a perfect six seasons and we managed, well, it’s sometimes hard to move into the film format and I kind of do like the ambiguity of the ending but I’m always open to a great script, I mean, who wouldn’t be?
But who are we kidding? If Tommy Shelby is back on any screen, we’ll be watching! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled to the 2024 movie schedule in case that Peaky movie does end up happening.