Peaky Blinders — the BBC series that ran from 2013 to 2022 — concluded after nine years and six seasons. Through the six seasons of Peaky Blinders, we saw Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) start out as a World War I veteran and cunning leader of the Peaky Blinders gang — who eventually and ambitiously expanded his criminal empire from Birmingham to London. As the series progressed, he rose to political power as a Member of Parliament, grappling with his moral conflicts and the psychological scars of war. Although the BBC series concluded, the remaining story of Thomas Shelby is yet to be told.
While there was earlier a chitter-chatter about the continuation of the story through a potential movie from the same director, Steven Knight, the fresher news has brought to the surface two new possible hands-off spinoff TV shows in early development at Netflix. One of the newly announced shows is set to be a prequel and the other is a sequel, and don’t worry — a Peaky Blinders movie is also in the works with the screenplay in its final stages and principal photography scheduled to begin in 2024. Let’s find out everything about the three Peaky Blinders projects in development.
1. The Peaky Blinders Movie — What We Know So Far
The much-anticipated Peaky Blinders movie is set to elevate the saga of the Shelby family to the big screen, with expectations for production to commence in 2023. As of now, there is no confirmed official release date. Knight, the mastermind behind the series, is at the helm of this project and is likely writing a script set against the backdrop of World War II. This setting aligns with Knight’s vision of concluding the Peaky Blinders TV series with the first air-raid siren in 1939. However, since that didn’t happen in the show, it will likely happen in the movie.
The movie will likely deliver better dramatic and gritty storytelling than fans have come to expect but in a more grandiose and cinematic fashion. While none of the cast members are yet confirmed to return, Murphy is expected to reprise his iconic role as Tommy Shelby. To be precise, Knight’s exact words state that he hopes to “redeem” Murphy’s Tommy Shelby by the end of the story. Knight’s ambition for the film is to create a cinematic experience that rivals the scale and spectacle of blockbuster movies.
In an interview with Radio Times, Knight shared, “My intention has always been to redeem him so that, in the end, he’s genuinely a good man doing good things. And finding how that journey happened, and why it happened, and dealing with all the post-traumatic stress of the First World War, and never easing up on that.”
2. There’s a Polly Gray-Centric Prequel in the Works
As part of the expansion of the Peaky Blinders universe, Netflix is reportedly developing a Polly Gray-centric prequel spinoff. Knight is taking a hands-off approach with these projects and won’t be directing them. However, the series, still in its early development phases, will explore the past of Polly Gray (Helen McCrory), the matriarch of the Shelby crime syndicate, exploring her early life and rise to prominence. Polly, played by McCrory in the original series, was a pivotal character whose influence and decisions significantly impacted the Shelby family.
Considering her character was killed off-screen prior to the start of the sixth season, this prequel offers an opportunity to explore her backstory and her role in the formation and rise of the Peaky Blinders. Will there be younger versions of Thomas, Arthur, Jon, and Ada in the show? We don’t yet know but it will surely be a treat to see how Polly became the woman she was in Peaky Blinders
3. The Other Peaky Blinders Sequel Spinoff is Set in Boston in the 20th Century
The other spinoff from the Peaky Blinders series is set to take place in Boston during the middle of the 20th century, a few decades after the events of the original series. This sequel may explore the story of the US-based crime boss Jack Nelson, who had tense dealings with the Birmingham gang, particularly with Tommy Shelby, the gang’s leader. The choice of Boston as a setting indicates a possible expansion of the storyline into American territories and the continuation of the complex web of crime, politics, and family dynamics that Peaky Blinders is known for. The rest of the details about the show, plot, and cast, have yet not been revealed.
All six seasons of Peaky Blinders are available to stream on Netflix.
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