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”.
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
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.
Will Mellor’s new BBC documentary about real-life Post Office scandal victims airs tonight
Emily Sergeant
A new BBC documentary about real-life victims from the Post Office scandal fronted by Will Mellor is hitting TV screens tonight.
As the country finally starts to wake up to the full scale of the Post Office scandal – which involved the British postal service pursuing thousands of innocent subpostmasters for apparent financial shortfalls caused by faults in an accounting software system between 1999 and 2015 – actor Will Mellor is on a mission to find out what happened to the real-life sub-postmasters in this new BBC documentary.
The Stockport-born actor famously played the part of Lee Castleton in the ITV drama, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and says he feels a “real affinity” will the families he spoke to for the programme.
For the new documentary and accompanying five-part BBC Sounds podcast series – which is titled Surviving the Post Office – Will actually speaks to Mr Castleton himself, as well as four other affected people and their families whose lives have been “torn apart”.
Surviving the Post Office ventures to all four corners of England, including East Yorkshire, County Durham, Lincolnshire, West Sussex, and Cornwall, as Will discovers that many of the sub-postmasters want to “take back control of their lives”.
According to the BBC, for some facing the past, that proves to be a “troubling experience”, while for others, it ends up being a “liberating” step forwards.
As well as exploring the financial losses for many, including the people featured in the documentary and podcast series, Will also gets to find out how they are coping with their emotions, trying to move on from the whole ordeal, and how the victims are finding support in unexpected ways.
📢 Actor Will Mellor meets the real-life victims of the Post Office scandal in a brand new documentary from BBC Local
Surviving The Post Office is coming to @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer tonight at 8.30pm. The podcast series is on @BBCSounds now
“I feel a real affinity with these families, so it was a privilege to hear their stories for this documentary and podcast,” Will said ahead of the documentary airing on BBC One.
“What shocked me the most after meeting so many sub-postmasters is just how far the impact and trauma has spread – the effect it’s had on people’s health, their children, and their whole communities has been massive.”