Peaky Blinders fans are used to getting a dose of Tommy Shelby in series form, but the iconic character's chaotic story is coming to a close in a feature film.
Cillian Murphy is finally hanging up his flat cap following the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man on 6 March.
The Irish actor, 49, described filming his closing scenes as the loveable rogue as 'really emotional', suggesting we're in for quite the ride.
After 13 years, six series and inspiring thousands of men to ask for a French crop at the barbers, the long-running saga surrounding Tommy Shelby is drawing to a close - but not before he 'faces his most destructive reckoning yet'.
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The beloved protagonist of the Peaky Blinders is returning from his self-imposed exile to try and whip his wayward son Duke (Barry Keoghan) into shape, as well as the entirety of the war-ravaged UK.
The synopsis for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man explains: "Birmingham, 1940. Amidst the chaos of World War II, Tommy Shelby is driven back from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet. With the future of the family and the country at stake, Tommy must face his own demons, and choose whether to confront his legacy, or burn it to the ground."
Take a look at the trailer here:
Murphy previously reflected on the 'quarter of a lifetime' he has spent immersed in the Peaky Blinders universe during an interview with LADbible last year.
Describing himself as the 'luckiest actor', he explained the rollercoaster ride he's been on over the last decade or so allowed him to develop Tommy Shelby from being a 'young man into middle age, into sort of an older man'.
"And it’s quite novelistic to have 36 hours of television and to really shine torches into the real recesses of personality," Murphy added.
Speaking to Empire Online in December, Murphy said he doesn't think he will be 'able to process' parting ways with Shelby until the fans see the film.
"I don’t think I’m going to be able to process it or think about it until the film comes out, because I believe that a film isn’t finished until people look at it," the Oscar-winner said.
He also praised Steven Knight, the mastermind who brought Peaky Blinders to life, for crafting such a perfect character arc for the Birmingham gang leader.
Referencing the cryptic ending of the sixth series, Murphy said: "I loved that beautiful ambiguity of him riding off on the horse, and he’s gone, and we don’t know where he’s gone to, but he’s back in the Gypsy world.
"Now here he is existing in whatever way that he can against the backdrop of World War II. That’s very elegant bookmarking of a story."
Longtime fans also previously revealed they had spotted a detail in the scene of him riding off into the sunset, which appeared a subtle reference to the very first episode of Peaky Blinders.
Knight himself shared a similar book-related sentiment ahead of the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, as he told the publication he hopes the film finale 'feels like the end of a novel'.
The renowned screenwriter, producer, and director said of his highly-anticipated project: "It’s the last few chapters of a long novel, where you get to round it off. And prepare people for what comes next."
Knight also recently explained how it was 'always the plan' to give Shelby's story a proper send-off via a feature film.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in February, he explained that a seventh series was previously in the pipeline too, but it ultimately got scrapped.
He altered aspects of his Peaky Blinders plan along the way, but Knight explained he 'always' wanted to go out with a bang on the big screen.
"The plan was always to do series six, series seven, and then the movie," he said. "But the pandemic happened, so we didn't do seven.
"So rather than delay, we went straight to the film. But it was always the plan to finish with a feature film. It's a good way to end it."
But fear not, Peaky Blinders fans - as Knight has announced that the stories of a 'new generation of Shelbys' will be told in a follow-up series, and Murphy is one of the executive producers.
Topics: Peaky Blinders, TV and Film, Cillian Murphy, Celebrity
Olivia Burke