Cillian Murphy Responds To Rumour Jason Statham Was Up For Thomas Shelby Role

Cillian Murphy has responded to longstanding rumours that Jason Statham was up for the part of Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders.

Although we've now witnessed the final ever season of the show, the hype for the Brummy gangsters is still at an all time high, with creator Steven Knight previously confirming a movie is in the works.

Knight told Deadline: "Covid changed our plans. 

"But I can say that my plan from the beginning was to end Peaky with a movie. That is what is going to happen."

Armchair Expert

However, speaking on a recent episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, Murphy was asked if the Jason Statham rumours were true.

Max asked: "Jason Statham was in the mix to play Shelby?"

To which the real Thomas Shelby actor laughed off those rumours and said: "I think that might be a pocketful.

"I mean it's a good story isn't it?

"Me and him always seem to be up for the same parts."

Alamy

Well, the feature film is what all fans are looking forward to and Knight has lifted the lid on what we can expect.

He told Digital Spy: "We're going to make a film – a feature film – which will move the world on, and then once we've moved the world on into the Second World, we'll see where that takes us.

"It's now a situation where the world… you know, around the world, the Peaky world, it's got so much energy, and so much following, and such a huge fanbase, that you think: 'Well, let's just carry on.' So we do."

Alamy

With regards to casting, he added: "There are so many people, so many great actors, that we are already, sort of, in conversation with for the film, and for whatever follows.

"But I think what we want to do is keep surprising people, and keep breaking new talent.

"Because it's all out there, and there is a sort of consistency – what we're doing is finding really good actors from a working-class sort of background, and telling that story.

"That's what we're trying to do."

There is currently no set release date for the movie.