That was fast. A few months ago, Cillian Murphy was spotted on a horse during initial filming on the Peaky Blinders movie, and already, cameras are done rolling on The Immortal Man. Will this be Cillian’s last hurrah as Tommy Shelby OBE? Perhaps, and only time will tell, and boy, this production has succeeded at secrecy. Sure, an intricate casting web has received regular infusions of information, but creator Steven Knight has revealed precious little other than that the film is set in WWII and, according to Knight in a Netflix statement, “The country is at war, and so, of course, are our Peaky Blinders.”
That’s all he wrote, at least publicly, which is fine. We all know that Tommy will cook, and this will be a satisfying movie, but maybe a hint would be nice?
Well, we got one. Over the weekend, the film’s hair and makeup designer, Nadia Stacey, revealed a stylized image printed on a bag used on the set. The image, which you can see right here on Instagram, shows the The Immortal Man film title along with Cillian as Tommy and a familiar face that is new to the franchise. Who, exactly? It sure looks like Barry Keoghan, who has been speculated (and there is some tattoo evidence to support the theory) to portray Duke Shelby, Tommy’s illegitimate gypsy son.
Back during the sixth Peaky Blinders season, Tommy believed he was going to die from a brain tumor, and he had lined up Charles (his son with Grace) and Duke, to take over the legitimate and illegal sides of Shelby Company Limited, respectively. We haven’t heard any news on casting for the older Charles, but it looks like Duke could be taking central stage.
Knight appears to have bolstered that intent during a Paris Match interview (via Screenrant). In the process, Knight discussed the franchise’s future: “We are going to focus on the new generation in a series that will take place after the Second World War.” He then jokingly (but it’s not a bad idea) added, “And then, who knows? Why not a clothing line?”
To sum up: The Immortal Man could pass Tommy Shelby’s baton to Duke, and we can cross fingers for another Peaky Blinders series.
