A World War Is Calling Tommy Shelby One Last Time

Ever since Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby rode off into the sunset at the end of Peaky Blinders season six, fans have been waiting to see how Steven Knight would bring his story to a close on the big screen. That wait is finally over. The first teaser for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is here.

Older, exiled, and no longer a gun-swinging gangster or sharp-suited parliamentarian, Tommy Shelby is living a quieter life, complete with a surprisingly modern haircut. Tommy insists that he's “not that many anymore”, but it seems like he hardly has a choice. People are looking for him. Birmingham is riddled with bomb blasts. The second world war has begun. It's 1940, Hitler has already invaded Poland, and the war is reaching England at breakneck speed. Check it out in the teaser below:

There is something grimly poetic about how the story comes full circle. The first season of Peaky Blinders began in the aftermath of the First World War, shaped by the violence and trauma the soldiers (including the Shelby brothers) carried back from the trenches. The Immortal Man pushes that arc straight into the Second World War, dragging Tommy’s legacy into a far deadlier global conflict.

Several familiar faces are returning. Sophie Rundle reprises her role as Ada Shelby, Stephen Graham is back as union convener Hayden Stagg, and Packy Lee returns as Johnny Dogs. Rebecca Ferguson joins the cast as the enigmatic Kaulo, a character reportedly not from Birmingham but central to the film’s conflict. Tim Roth has also been cast, along with Barry Keoghan, whose track record for playing volatile, borderline unhinged characters makes him an especially intriguing addition to the Peaky Blinders universe.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is slated to premiere in cinemas on 6 March next year, before arriving on Netflix on 20 March. The film is directed by Tom Harper and written by series creator Steven Knight, who is also set to write the next James Bond film.

Beyond the film, the world of Peaky Blinders is far from over. In October, the BBC confirmed the franchise would return with two new series centred on a new generation of Shelbys. The spin-off is set in 1953, years after the events of the film, and will be shot at Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham. Cillian Murphy will return as an executive producer, though it remains unclear whether he will reprise his role as Tommy Shelby.

In other words, Tommy’s story may be done for good, but the Shelby myth clearly is not.