Peaky Blinders Movie: Behind the Scenes with Murphy and Keoghan
The highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film, titled Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, brings Cillian Murphy back as Tommy Shelby alongside Barry Keoghan as his son Duke. In an exclusive interview, the actors and creator Steven Knight reveal the challenges and triumphs of transitioning the beloved BBC and Netflix series to the big screen.
A Father's Day Casting Call
Barry Keoghan recalls texting Cillian Murphy on Father's Day 2023, only to receive an unexpected offer. "Would you like to play my son in Peaky Blinders the movie?" Murphy responded, though he humorously admits he might have forgotten the holiday. Keoghan, a self-professed Peaky fan who had already named his dog Duke, was thrilled to join the cast.
Murphy explains his choice: "Barry's a firecracker – put a camera on him and all of a sudden he's riveting. There's a danger to him … an unpredictability, which I think you need for that character. But also this vulnerability. And vulnerability on screen is a superpower as an actor."
The Plot: War, Crime, and Family Drama
Set in 1940 during Nazi bombings of Birmingham, the film finds Tommy Shelby isolated in his country mansion, grappling with opium addiction and haunting visions of deceased relatives. Meanwhile, Duke has taken over the gang, engaging in contraband and forging an alliance with British Nazi agent John Beckett, played by Tim Roth, to flood Britain with counterfeit money.
Keoghan's Duke is introduced brutally beating a police officer, showcasing the character's ruthless nature. "I know there's a wild fanbase and they will have expectations of this film," Keoghan acknowledges, emphasizing the pressure to deliver.
Filming Challenges: Pigsty Fights and Wrong Snow
The actors' first scene together involved a messy fight in a pigsty. "No, it was shit," Murphy admits with a shudder. "Pigs shit a lot. And we were in it." Keoghan adds, "I cracked all my knuckles open, too. I remember punching the ground and Cillian saying, 'Oh man, you don't have to do that.' But I wanted to, I needed to rev myself up."
Filming at Calke Abbey in Derby presented additional hurdles. Real snow had to be cleared and digitally re-added due to being the "wrong kind," and the Grade-1 listed building's strict regulations tested the crew. Murphy recalls, "That place was fucking freezing."
The Global Phenomenon of Peaky Blinders
Steven Knight reflects on the show's unexpected global impact. From humble beginnings with 2 million viewers, Peaky Blinders grew to nearly 6 million at its peak, fueled by word-of-mouth and Netflix's international reach. "The success is entirely fan-generated," Murphy notes, citing minimal initial BBC promotion.
The series has inspired festivals, tourism in the West Midlands, and even influenced baby names—Arthur and Ada have surged in popularity. Internationally, it has resonated in unexpected ways:
- In Afghanistan, Taliban authorities detained men for dressing as characters.
- A Ukrainian national guard division adopted Peaky-style hats.
- Snoop Dogg spent three hours discussing parallels with his gang experiences.
Star-Studded Cast and Future Projects
Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth joined the film, with Roth describing his character as a "very reasonable" geography teacher type. Meanwhile, Knight is tight-lipped about his work on the next James Bond script, while Murphy celebrates his Oscar win for Oppenheimer.
Despite the franchise continuing with a 1950s-set spin-off series, Murphy feels content with this cinematic conclusion. "It's been a quarter of my life, Peaky Blinders, so I'm OK with this being it," he says, joking about the iconic haircut: "I hated it for so long, but then everyone in the world started getting it, so I thought maybe it's not so bad after all?"
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is now in cinemas and premieres on Netflix on March 20, marking the end of an era for the Shelby saga.
