Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy opens up about the long-awaited movie continuation. Steven Knight’s hit BBC drama saw Murphy’s World War I veteran Tommy Shelby establish a powerful criminal empire in 1920’s Birmingham, where he faced rival crime families, authorities set on bringing him to justice, and fascistic movements. Peaky Blinders first aired in 2013 and ran for six seasons before ending in 2022 with a six-episode season.
While speaking to Rolling Stone about his acting career and upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Murphy was asked about his involvement in the Peaky Blinders movie. While the actor affirmed that he would still like to work with Knight on the series again, he stated that he did feel some trepidation about returning to the role after the show’s six-season run, setting up some conditions for any further reprisal. Check out Murphy’s full response below:
“If there’s more story there, I’d love to do it. But it has to be right. 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.”
Why Production On The Peaky Blinders Movie Has taken So Long?
While Peaky Blinders ultimately concluded with season 6, Knight revealed that the story of Tommy Shelby still had one last chapter to be told in 2021. Rather than confirming season 7, the series would receive a film conclusion. Knight revealed following the film’s announcement that he hoped the feature could be a platform to continue the story of Shelby’s family in spin-off series and related projects. Despite the news that a Peaky Blinders film was in development at the same time as production on season 6 was underway, there has been little progress on the film reported since its announcement.
Since 2022, Knight continued to work on several different new series as both a writer and producer. Alongside writing his World War II historical wartime drama SAS: Rogue Heroes and the BBC and FX’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Knight also joined the Star Wars New Jedi Order film as a writer, developing the adventures of Daisy Ridley’s Jedi Master Rey following the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, after Damon Lindelof left the project. With Knight involved in so many projects, it is unclear when he will be able to commit to working on the Peaky Blinders film within the foreseeable future.
With Peaky Blinders concluding with a widely acclaimed season 6, it brings questions about whether the film could still act as a fitting conclusion. With Tommy finally finding a form of peace in the last episode, there are concerns that a continuation could negate season 6’s final conclusion. While Murphy’s comments may not shed any light on when the film will release, he is direct about wanting to ensure that the film has a story that does not negate the original series’ ending.
Source: Rolling Stone
