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Cillian Murphy’s highly anticipated feature film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, is set to premiere theatrically on March 6, followed by a global Netflix streaming release on March 20. The movie continues the story of the celebrated TV series and brings Tommy Shelby back into the spotlight during the turmoil of World War II, elevating the drama with heightened stakes and cinematic scope.
The film takes place in 1940 Birmingham, six years after the TV series finale, where Murphy’s character, Tommy Shelby, emerges from self-imposed isolation amid wartime chaos. Haunted by his past and struggling with inner demons, Tommy must confront a devastating reckoning that threatens not only his family’s future but also the fate of the country.
Returning to the World of Peaky Blinders in Wartime Birmingham
The original Peaky Blinders series, which ran from 2013 to 2022, gained a large, devoted global following. The film’s development spanned several years, with Murphy describing it as “one for the fans.” He emphasized the importance of the movie justifying its existence and building on the TV show’s ambiguous ending, where Tommy rides off into the English countryside, leaving his fate unresolved.
“If you’re gonna make a film of a TV show, it has to have all the bells and whistles, and you have to have that kind of cinematic magic dust, and I think we’re achieving that.”
– Cillian Murphy, Star and Producer
Murphy explained that the film had been meticulously shaped since 2019-2020, involving multiple script revisions to ensure it matched and improved upon the TV series’ tone and scale. The cinematic nature of Peaky Blinders required something bigger and more expansive for the film.
Creator Steven Knight revealed his motivation for situating the story during the Birmingham Blitz. Drawing from his mother’s accounts of the period, he aimed to capture the wartime tension and danger, throwing the Peaky Blinders characters into a high-stakes environment defined by nightly bombings and pervasive fear.
“I really wanted to do Peaky during the war. It’s during the Birmingham Blitz — every night the place was carpet-bombed, and nobody knew if they were going to survive. My mom was around at the time and told me stories about what that was like, just obviously terrifying. And so I wanted to get that energy of the Second World War and throw our people into it, really into it.”
– Steven Knight, Creator
Knight pointed out that making a feature film allowed for bigger, more visceral moments, such as visually showing a car being blown up rather than just describing it. The higher budget also attracted a different caliber of cast, enhancing the film’s impact.
A Star-Studded Return and New Faces in the Shelby Family
The film reunites Cillian Murphy with much of the original cast, alongside notable new additions. Rebecca Ferguson joins as Kaulo, a mysterious figure from Tommy’s past with supernatural edge, while Tim Roth portrays Beckett, treasurer of the British Union of Fascists. Sophie Rundle reprises her role as Ada Shelby, now an MP. Barry Keoghan plays Duke, Tommy’s illegitimate son leading his own faction of the Peaky Blinders, and Stephen Graham returns as Hayden Stagg, a union convener at the Liverpool docks. Jay Lycurgo appears as Elijah Hayes, Duke’s trusted ally. Other returning cast members include Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, and Ian Peck.
Murphy shared that he was closely involved in the casting process and was adamant about securing Ferguson and Roth from the start. His longstanding admiration for Roth, whom he worked with on the 2012 drama Broken, informed this choice.
“Rebecca and Tim were from the very beginning, the people we were after.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor and Producer
“He’s one of my heroes growing up as a young actor.”
– Cillian Murphy on Tim Roth
“It properly feels like an old Second World War movie. I mean it should be, you know, Gregory Peck and Richard Burton up a mountain somewhere, doing naughty Second World War stuff. I was very pleased when we came on set to see that it was not relying on CG. It wasn’t just ‘Okay, I’ll stand against the green screen, we’ll put it all in later.’ It didn’t have that laziness about it. It had ambition.”
– Tim Roth, Actor
Murphy was also impressed by Ferguson, describing her as “phenomenal” and perfect casting for the enigmatic Kaulo, who has the power to manipulate others. Harper praised Ferguson’s intelligence and complexity, noting the strength she brings in confronting Tommy Shelby.
“Her mind sort of darts and thinks about all possible things at the same time, and just gives this sort of strength and protection for her. You need that if you’re going up against Cillian and Tommy Shelby, that’s a pretty powerful thing to have.”
– Tom Harper, Director
Barry Keoghan, who portrays Duke, shared insights into his character’s complexity as someone both vulnerable and emulating his father’s ruthless nature. Murphy and Keoghan’s on-screen resemblance intensifies their familial connection.
“He’s childlike in moments, with his father, and then almost emulating his father when he’s not with his father … I wanted to show a vulnerability and show that a lot of it is a façade, a lot of it is put on.”
– Barry Keoghan, Actor
Lycurgo earned Murphy’s praise as “one to watch” and a significant upcoming actor. Keoghan’s friendly connection with Murphy included a memorable Father’s Day text exchange that led to his role as Tommy Shelby’s son.
Behind the Scenes: Bringing the Peaky Blinders World to Life
During the TV series run, filming usually took place in various cities such as Liverpool and Manchester, mostly in atmospheric warehouses and government buildings. For the film, the production included extensive work at Knight’s own Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham, a bespoke location designed to support the story’s larger scale and period detail.
The studio occupies a vast soundstage with modular layouts, production offices, wardrobe, and set-building areas. The location features period cars, trailers, and even horses, all integral to creating an authentic environment. Knight has a personal connection to the site, as it was once a Victorian industrial hub where his father worked as a blacksmith for police horses.
“(My father) used to shoe police horses … He had a forge, and it was the most amazing place, one of the places that inspired me to write Peaky.”
– Steven Knight, Creator
Murphy described Knight’s determination in establishing the studio, joking that he
“bends the universe to his own will and then manifests what he desires.”
On the day of the visit, Murphy was preparing for a scene filmed inside the Garrison Pub—known to fans but dramatically expanded for the movie—where Tommy seeks out Duke. The scene was shot efficiently with around 50 extras, reflecting the production’s tight pacing of roughly three pages a day.
“We made it Nancy, we’re here!”
– Tom Harper, Director
Dressed as Tommy, Murphy looked noticeably older, with gray-streaked hair and increased physicality compared to his appearance in Oppenheimer. He described the film as “an incredibly physical film,” reflecting the character’s emotional and literal battles.
Returning to the role, Murphy said it felt both strange and familiar, with Tommy beginning the story disconnected from his world and family but ultimately fighting for those lost during the war.
“Sort of strange, but familiar. It feels good.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
“He’s not really living, he’s not really dead. He’s ignoring the world, he’s ignoring his family. Which is a brilliant starting point … so can you reel him back in?”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
“I’m really happy with the script. Really happy with everybody. Tom is doing a brilliant job, and that feels great given that we did Season 1 together.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor and Producer
Director Tom Harper’s Vision to Expand Peaky’s Cinematic Scale
Tom Harper, who directed the latter half of Peaky Blinders’ first season, returned to lead the film. Murphy valued their longstanding professional relationship, emphasizing the trust and understanding Harper brought to the project.
“I put an awful lot of stock in re-collaboration and trust and friendships.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
“The longer you remain in this business, you realize how bloody small it is. If you’ve had a good experience working with someone you know, then why not repeat it?”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
Murphy praised Harper’s commitment and insight into the series’ style, noting how he and Otto Bathurst, along with cinematographer George Steel, shaped the original look of the show and helped evolve it further for the film.
“He never gets off set. He’s just great. I mean he just really understands the show, he understands the character.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
The shift from long-form television to a two-hour movie provided fresh challenges. Harper explained that the increased budget allowed for pushing production values to a cinematic level, investing resources to realize Peaky’s full potential.
“The extra cost and extra time it takes to get the few extra percentages of value are sort of disproportionate, but those few extra percentages mean an enormous amount … It was really about just pushing and taking us into that area of a greater cinematic landscape.”
– Tom Harper, Director
Murphy highlighted their preference for practical, in-camera effects rather than relying on CGI, adding that the wartime setting had been depicted many times but remained fresh when filtered through the Peaky Blinders perspective.
“We’ve gotten to do the set pieces. We’ve gone for, you know, practical in-camera stuff. And, you’re shooting World War II and in the UK, and it’s been done so much, so you need to find a way of doing it slightly differently.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
He also relished the opportunity to extend filming seamlessly across street settings, rather than isolated sections, allowing the story to breathe within the larger world of 1940s Birmingham.
“Before, we would have, like, a section of a street, and then people are doing their shopping, you know what I mean? But this time we can really lean into the set pieces.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
Soundtrack and Musical Atmosphere Shaping the Film’s Mood
The TV series became famous for its use of edgy, anachronistic music, and the film continues this tradition with an original score by Antony Genn and Martin Slattery. The soundtrack features new songs like “Puppet” by Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, alongside a reimagined version of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand,” Massive Attack covers, and music from the Irish folk band Lankum.
“It was a very collaborative kind of endeavor … Ant and Martin know the world so well, having done it, and they’re just incredible musicians.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
Murphy recalled attending the Fontaines’ 2024 album launch with director Tom Harper and his son Aran, who enthusiastically joined the concert’s mosh pits, underscoring the generational appeal of the music.
“There’s a line in ‘Romance,’ the song, where Grian wrote, ‘pigs in the pen,’ and so it was almost meant to be (a pig sty is a key venue in the movie). And then he created all these original tunes with Ant and Martin, and they’re as good a piece of songwriting as I think you’ll find anywhere.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
Murphy spoke with Nick Cave about the new take on “Red Right Hand,” sharing that Cave supported the idea of singing it as an older man seasoned by life’s experiences.
“[Nick Cave] was really into the idea of singing it as an older man who has had all that life experience.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor
Meeting the Expectations of a Dedicated Fanbase
From the outset, Murphy’s primary aim was to honor the fans who supported the Peaky Blinders journey. While the film can be viewed as a standalone story, understanding the TV series greatly enriches the experience, thanks to the deep world-building and character development built over nearly a decade.
“I really wanted it to be satisfying. From the very beginning, my motivation was to make it for the fans. I do think you can watch it stand-alone, but you’re going to enjoy it on so many more levels if you’re invested in the TV show, and that’s because there’s such a fantastic fan base. I felt like it wanted to be a gift to them for that investment.”
– Cillian Murphy, Actor and Producer
With a blend of intense drama, rich character arcs, and a wartime backdrop, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man promises to elevate the world of Tommy Shelby to new emotional and cinematic heights. Fans and newcomers alike can expect a thrilling continuation that honors its origins while expanding its scope and stakes in unprecedented ways.