Cillian Murphy confirmed to be returning for Peaky Blinders movie, filming starts in September

Riding high on the Oppenheimer wave, actor Cillian Murphy appears to be all set to come back to Peaky Blinders, playing the role of gangster Tommy Shelby.

The popular BBC show was what made Murphy a household name. Currently airing on Netflix, Peaky Blinders borrows its name from a real life Birmingham gang, set against the backdrop of World War I. The Oscar winner plays the role of gang leader Tommy Shelby.

The show ran for six seasons between 2013 and 2022, and is now all set to come back as a movie.

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Filming for Peaky Blinders will take place in Digbeth, in September, with Cillian Murphy making a return

In an interview with Birmingham World at the premiere of his new BBC drama The Town, Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders confirmed that not only will Cillian Murphy take on the mantle of Tommy Shelby once again, the schedule for filming has already been planned and will kick off in September.

Knight said,

“He definitely is returning for it. We’re shooting it in September just down the road in Digbeth”

Fans of the show always had faith in Murphy’s return, especially since the actor has been extremely vocal about his interest in starring in the Peaky Blinders’ film, as long as there is a good script.

In an interview with Rolling Stone U.K. last year, Cillian Murphy had reassured fans, saying,

“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.”

More recently, Cillian Murphy had reiterated his interest in a Peaky Blinders sequel in an interview with the Irish Star, in February. He said,

“I have always said that if Knight delivers a script that I know he can deliver, because he is such a phenomenal writer, I’ll be there. … If we want to watch 50-year-old Tommy Shelby, I will be there. Let’s do it.”

Peaky Blinders has several celebrity fans, and one among them, Margot Robbie, took the chance to ask Murphy about a potential movie when she got the chance. In the recent Variety‘s Actors on Actors episode featuring the pair, Robbie said,

“Can we please talk about Tommy f*cking Shelby for just one minute?”

She then asked Cillian Murphy about a potential spinoff movie, to which he said:

“I mean, I’m open to the idea. I’ve always thought that if there’s more story to tell.”

While the Peaky Blinders series finale aired in April 2022, it appears that a follow up movie had been Steven Knight’s plan all along. In an interview with Esquire, before the finale episode, Knight had said,

“The film, I know exactly what it’s about. And I know what two stories it’s going to tell. What will happen after that, I want that to depend on the film. For all we know somebody is going to pop out – I think I know who it’s going to be.”

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Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy is definitely on a career high, with his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atom bomb, winning him accolades across the globe. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, along with a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and many other awards for the role.

His latest film, an Irish drama, Small Things like These also premiered in Berlin in February to critical acclaim.