Series creator Steven Knight has confirmed that Tommy Shelby himself, Cillian Murphy, will be returning for the film adaptation of Peaky Blinders.
Talk of a Peaky Blinders movie has been rumbling ever since the final season of the hit British gangster show began airing back in 2022, but full confirmation of a feature-length film came back in January, with Knight insisting that filming would begin by September this year.
Better still, screenwriter and director Steven Knight (also known for other BBC cult favourites like Taboo) has now cleared up the confusion and speculation as to whether lead actor Cillian Murphy will be returning for the next installation in the Peaky Blinders franchise.
In a word, his answer was “Definitely”.
Cillian Murphy will officially return for the ‘PEAKY BLINDERS’ movie. 🎬
Now confirmed by the creator himself, Cillian Murphy will ‘definitely’ be in the Peaky Blinders film.
Speaking to local Midlands outlet Birmingham World, Knight said that not only have the finishing touches been put on the final script for the film but that the 47-year-old and now Oscar-winning actor is signed on to reprise his role as the head of the Shelby family, Tommy.
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Interviewed on the red carpet at the premiere of his latest BBC project This Town, the 64-year-old said: “He definitely is returning for it. We’re shooting it in September just down the road in Digbeth.”
A good chunk of the show was famously filmed right here in Greater Manchester at the likes of the Stockport Plaza, along the Castlefield canals and inside Rochdale Town Hall, so we’re still hoping we might get a glimpse of the Peaky Blinders crews popping back up around here at some point too.
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Knight has previously said that the plot of the film carries on the Shelby family’s story as the timeline approaches the Second World War and teased to Esquire, “I know what two stories it’s going to tell”, but revealed little else as to how they will unfold and who exactly they involve.
While there’d been plenty of debate amongst the fan base as to whether a return for the film was likely given the somewhat open-ended finale (we’re staying nothing more), he did admit in an interview with Rolling Stone last year: “If there’s more story there, I’d love to do it but it has to be right.
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“Steve Knight wrote 36 hours of television, and we left on such a high”, he continued; “I’m really proud of that last series. So, it would have to feel legitimate and justified to do more.” As it turns out, there was plenty more to say and more story to tell — at least enough for a film, anyway.
There is still no wider indication as to when we can expect the cinematic release to arrive, you can already bank on being one of the biggest releases here in Britain and the US, where the show has also grown a massive audience. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.
Featured Images — BBC/Taylor Rooke (via Wikimedia Commons)
TV & Showbiz
Benson Boone has announced a headline gig in Manchester – and it’s a big one
Danny Jones
American pop sensation and unrivalled king of unnecessary front flips, Benson Boone, has just announced his first-ever headline Manchester arena gig as part of a new arena tour.
The solo artist and acrobatic chart-topper has seen a meteoric rise in the US and, as is usually the case across the Atlantic, he’s become increasingly popular over here too.
Benson may have performed here in Manchester before as part of the 2024 MTV EMAs and for a small show at The Deaf Institute, but now big fans have the added Boone of getting to watch a standalone show at one of Europe’s leading indoor entertainment venues.
Announced on Friday, 30 May, the 22-year-old will be making his way across the pond from Washington for a limited run of UK concerts, with a date at Co-op Live arena being one of just five dates.
Extending his ‘American Heart Tour’ ahead of the release of his eponymous sophomore record, with this autumn leg, Co-op Live will mark his individual visit to 0161.
The Grammy-nominated artist has earned several nods of recognition already for his first album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, which was released just last spring.
He has been described as among the current trend of male singers who fit into the American Idol and ‘Voice audition pop’ genre (a term recently coined online), along with the likes of Teddy Swims, Shawn Mendes, Alex Warren and others.
Regardless of the slightly tongue-in-cheek term, he’s become a huge hit around the world and landing him is still a big coup for the venue that has already welcomed similarly massive pop contemporaries like Swims, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and more.
In case you’re wondering just how big a deal he is over in the States, even this early in his career, his domestic headline dates sold out in seconds, quite literally…
The last time he visited Co-op Live was to perform at the most recent MTV EMAs
Benson Boone is coming to Manchester on Monday, 27 October and will be playing just two other British venues: The O2 in London (two nights) and the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Safe to say you don’t want to miss this one if you like soaring vocals and lots of flipping.
General admission tickets go live at 10am on Thursday, 5 June, but Co-op Members can gain access via the arena’s official pre-sale window from the same time on Tuesday (3 Jun).
More adult virgins needed for next series of Channel 4’s hit reality show Virgin Island
Emily Sergeant
Channel 4 is back looking for more adult virgins to take part in the potential next series of its hit reality show Virgin Island.
You may remember that early last year, we brought you the breaking highly-important news that Channel 4 was currently in the process of producing a new reality TV series that, at the time, had the working title of ‘The Intimacy Retreat’ and was looking for a group of adult virgins to apply to take part, if they were brave enough.
But now, well over a year on, we all know that show turned out to be the hit show Virgin Island – which has just finished airing its first series this week.
Channel 4 needs more adult virgins for the potential next series of its hit reality TV show Virgin Island / Credit: Channel 4
If you’re unfamiliar with Virgin Island, it’s unlike anything ever seen on TV before, as it follows the journey of a group of adult virgins who are whisked off to a Mediterranean island retreat to learn life-changing skills in the art of intimacy.
Working with leading international therapists, the aim is to help the young people overcome their fears and insecurities when it comes to intimacy and sex.
Channel 4 said it chose to commission the show after a recent study into intimacy found out that one in eight British 26-year-olds is, apparently, still a virgin.
Virgin Island aims to help young people overcome their insecurities around intimacy and sex / Credit: Channel 4
A casting call for the new series on the Channel 4 website reads: “Are you a virgin and do you need help and guidance with your fears and insecurities around intimacy and sex? Double Act Productions is casting adults for a potential second series of Virgin Island.”
You just need to be over 21 years of age to take part in the show.
Fancy it then? Or know someone who may be up for the ride? Applications for the potential next series of Virgin Island are now open, and there’s still plenty of time left to put your name down.
Danny Jones -
22nd March 2024 
