Netflix Is About To Make Peaky Blinders Even Bigger
An upcoming spin-off movie won't be the end of the crime drama.
Peaky Blinders didn’t just launch Cillian Murphy from a Danny Boyle mainstay to a household name — it also defined a generation of crime thriller TV and, somewhat regrettably, discourse around masculinity. But behind all the Tommy Shelby memes and flat caps, Peaky Blinders truly was the platonic ideal of a period crime drama: gritty, unabashed, full of schemes, and impeccably costumed.
A dozen years after it premiered, Peaky Blinders is returning for The Immortal Man, a Netflix original movie that will bring back much of the original cast, including Murphy. But while this film serves as the end of an era, it may also be the start of a broader franchise.
Peaky Blinders follows Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, the leader of a crime network in early 20th century Birmingham.
While appearing on BBC Breakfast to promote his upcoming period series A Thousand Blows, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight gave an update on The Immortal Man. “The stuff that I'm watching, the rushes... no one will be disappointed,” he said, calling it “a very fitting way to end this part of the Peaky story.”
The phrasing of that statement is interesting, as he doesn’t say the story is ending with this movie, just “this part” of it. Knight played coy when asked about the wording, but teased a bigger announcement. “It's not over, let's just put it like that,” he said. “I'm not allowed to announce it... but I'm just saying that the world of Peaky will continue.”
Steven Knight is a TV veteran, having had a hand in everything from Peaky Blinders to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
This only reinforces hints Knight dropped in 2023, when he suggested The Immortal Man wouldn’t be the end of Peaky Blinders, but this is the first time he’s referred to the end of an era instead of the story just continuing.
So, where could the tale go after this “first era” ends? While The Immortal Man includes several actors reprising their roles from the show, a host of new actors are also involved, including Barry Keoghan, Tim Roth, and Rebecca Ferguson. Perhaps this movie will feature a changing of the guard. Peaky Blinders had an ever-evolving ensemble cast, so adding new talent would be old (peaky) hat.
In fact, in December 2024, Knight told Paris Match that he envisions the story continuing in a series that follows a new generation after wartime. “And then, who knows?” he said. “Why not a clothing line?” So until you can wear Tommy Shelby’s official tweed vest for yourself, the most likely option is a new series.
