Sumith Prasad
Cillian Murphy has joined the cast of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie to reprise his original character Thomas “Tommy” Shelby. The shooting of the film will begin in mid-2024 in Birmingham, England, the major setting of the original series.
The plot of the movie is currently under wraps but it will revolve around the titular street gang after World War II. “I’ve had this in mind for quite a while now, a story with the Peakys during the Second World War, and I’ve picked up three true stories that I’m integrating into the film. True, sort of secret and unknown stories about the Second World War, and [I’ve] involved the Peaky’s in there,” screenwriter and creator of the series Steven Knight told Radio Times.
“It’s also the end of empire: we enter the Second World War and by the end of it, there is no empire, really. But I… have revised the scope of what it is. […] It will now go into and beyond the Second World War. Because I just think the energy that is out there in the world for this, I want to keep it going, and I want to see how this can progress beyond that,” Knight added to Empire.
The film is helmed by Tom Shankland, who was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for directing an episode of Starz’s crime drama series ‘The Missing.’ His other credits include Knight’s BBC series ‘SAS Rogue Heroes,’ Netflix’s thriller series ‘The Serpent,’ ‘Les Misérables,’ and Netflix’s superhero series ‘The Punisher.’
Knight recently completed writing the screenplay for the movie. “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?’” he told Radio Times in another interview.
Murphy just won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s biographical film ‘Oppenheimer.’ The actor may also join director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland’s ‘28 Years Later,’ a sequel to the trio’s 2002 zombie movie ‘28 Days Later.’ Murphy is currently filming Tim Mielants’ historical drama ‘Small Things Like These,’ in which he will feature alongside Ciarán Hinds, Emily Watson, and Clare Dunne.
Along with Murphy, Paul Anderson will reprise his character Arthur Shelby. Knight earlier expressed his desire to reunite with Stephen Graham, who played Hayden Stagg in the historical crime drama series. We may see several new characters in the movie, with unfamiliar faces portraying them. One can be Vicky McClure, who previously expressed her desire to be a part of the developing franchise. “We will put her in the film if she’ll do it!” Knight responded, via Metro. Knight also welcomed Tom Holland to be a part of his project after the actor’s unsuccessful audition to join the cast of the series.
Even though the original series is set in Birmingham, it was mainly shot in the English counties of Yorkshire and Merseyside. The movie, however, will be shot on location. The city previously hosted the filming of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ and HBO’s drama series ‘Euphoria.’
Read More: What is Tommy Shelby Smoking in Peaky Blinders? Does Cillian Murphy Smoke in Real Life?
