What’s next for Cillian Murphy after his award-winning performance in “Oppenheimer“? How about returning to his most iconic role before playing the nuclear physicist? Deadline reports that Murphy will reprise his role from the BBC/Netflix series “Peaky Blinders” for Steven Knight‘s upcoming follow-up film. “He definitely is returning for it,” Knight told Birmingham World about Murphy’s involvement. “We’re shooting it in September just down the road in Digbeth [England].”
Knight’s comments follow up similar ones he gave in January, where he said he was “working on the final bits of” the film’s script and planned to start shooting in mid-2024. The “Peaky Blinders” movie comes just two years after the long-running show ended with its sixth and final season in 2022. In the show, Murphy plays Tommy Shelby, who headed one of the fiercest gangs in post-World War I Birmingham. The series garnered quite the fan base over its nine-year run, becoming increasingly popular after it began streaming on Netflix.
Both Knight and Murphy expressed interest in returning to “Peaky Blinders” for a feature film since the show’s final season, but it took a while for things to come to fruition. Last year, Murphy told Radio Times, “I would love to do a movie if there’s more story to tell. I’ll wait and see, but I have no update for you on that.” But Knight had an idea for a movie follow-up as early as 2022. “The film, I know exactly what it’s about. And I know what two stories it’s going to tell,” he teased to Esquire that year. “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.”
There’s no word if other “Peaky Blinders” actors will return for the film, but prepare for more casting news as its proposed September shooting date approaches. And the prolific Knight will be busy as usual anyway, with upcoming projects like Pablo Larráin‘s “Maria” and the BBC Victorian Drama “A Thousand Blows.” As for Murphy, he recently starred in the Irish drama “Small Things Like These,” which just bowed at the Berlinale in February. But with his Best Actor wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and the Oscars, Murphy is now one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars. Expect his list of upcoming projects to fill up fast.