Netflix’s Peaky Blinders Is Ending With a Film
By Louisa Mellor
Peaky Blinders will finish on TV after season six, but that won’t be the end of the UK gangster drama…
When 1920s-set Peaky Blinders arrived on TV in 2013, it was seen as a working class antidote to Downton Abbey with a baffling name.
Nobody foresaw the global obsession it would become once the world met Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, a Birmingham gang leader with a sharp look and big ambitions.
Over the last seven years, Peaky Blinders has earned a devoted following and countless celebrity fans, including Snoop Dogg, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.
Its characters’ distinctive haircut has been endlessly copied, while the show has spawned a festival, video game and clothing line.
There’s even a trend for Peaky Blinders-themed weddings!
While Peaky Blinders had a steady and devoted audience in the UK, a Netflix deal was responsible for its success worldwide, especially in the US.
Creator Steven Knight initially hoped to make three seasons, but it proved so popular that the BBC commissioned a further three, with talk of ending things after season seven.
But in March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic arrived, forcing filming on season six into a 10-month hiatus.
The shutdown played havoc with the scheduling commitments of planned season six guest stars, including Boardwalk Empire’s Stephen Graham. Everything was up in the air.
Filming on season six finally resumed in January 2021, with the surprise announcement that it would be Peaky Blinders’ final season.
But, promised its creators, the story would continue. Speaking to Deadline, Steven Knight confirmed that he planned to finish the Shelby family story with a feature film.
A film would be less of a time-commitment for the show’s in-demand cast, which also includes The Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy, and The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy.
Anya Taylor-Joy
But the TV show’s relatively modest budget (reported to be around $1.5 million per episode - a fraction of The Crown, The Mandalorian or Game of Thrones) will surely need more investment.
The Mandalorian
If Netflix funds the Peaky Blinders film, it could mean that the final chapter in the Shelby family story will be the first not to debut on the BBC, frustrating some UK fans.
Because if there’s one thing Peaky Blinders teaches, it’s that you can never forget where you came from.