Peaky Blinders creator’s update as Hollywood actor joins new film

Steven Knight said the new film will be “mind-blowing” as Saltburn star Barry Keoghan became the latest actor to join the cast

Netflix has announced Barry Keoghan has joined the cast of the new Peaky Blinders film. The streaming giant issued an update on social media platform X to confirm the Saltburn star is the latest star to join the eagerly anticipated film.

The Banshees of Inisherin actor will appear in the film alongside Rebecca Ferguson and Cillian Murphy, who plays the protagonist Tommy Shelby in the hit BBC show. Fans took to the comments after the announcement to share their excitement after the casting news.

Anthony said: “Amazing actor!” Khadija commented: “Great addition.” Isaac posted: “He actually has a perfect “Peaky Blinder” look. I’m loving it already.”

Details of the film remain under wraps but Steven Knight confirmed in an interview with the ECHO that the filming will start shooting soon. He said: “We start shooting a couple of weeks in Digbeth and it’s going to be mind-blowing.”

READ MORE: Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight took one look at Liverpool and knew BBC show needed the cityREAD MORE: ‘Ripped’ Stephen Graham’s huge transformation for new Disney role

The gangster epic, that follows the Shelby family’s rise to power in the aftermath of World War One, has developed into a cultural phenomenon inspiring bars, fashion trends and stag dos across the UK since it first arrived on our screens in 2013.

The TV series came to an end in 2021 and the upcoming film will be set years after the show ended. Peaky Blinders is set in Birmingham but Liverpool is a spiritual home for the series as the BBC show was largely filmed in the city.

Steven knew Liverpool was the perfect place to film the show on his first day on set when he laid eyes on the interior of the Tobacco Warehouse at Stanley Dock. He told the ECHO: “The size and the scale of that great big warehouse was absolutely amazing and makes you feel as though you’re in New York.

“I’d written it with that sort of scale in mind and then suddenly, to be in a place, a geographical location, that is almost encouraging you and is saying ‘yeah, go for it’.

“We could have started shooting in a muddy field somewhere but we started shooting there and it was just great because it gave everybody that feeling, that swagger that we can do this. This is something that we’re doing on a big scale.”

The show’s star, Cillian Murphy, won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer this year. Steven told the ECHO the award was completely deserved and the star is looking forward to returning to his role as Tommy for the upcoming film.

He said: “He’s not just a great actor, he’s a great bloke. He leads the line in terms of attitude. He knows his stuff, he’s an absolute professional so to see that rewarded was wonderful.

“Throughout all of that when he was winning his award, whenever he was texting, to his credit, he was saying I can’t wait to get started on the Peaky movie. In other words, saying, I’m not getting carried away.”

The writer spoke to the ECHO last week ahead of the new dance adaptation, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Tommy Shelby, arriving at the Liverpool Empire from September 17 – 21. The production is in collaboration with prestigious dance company, Rambert. Steven worked with the dance company’s artistic director, Benoit Swan Pouffer, to adapt the story in a bold way many viewers would never have expected.

Steven had never written a stage show like this before, but this didn’t deter him as he relished the opportunity to take on a new challenge. He said: “I sat down at the keyboard and just imagined how the thing would look and wrote the story. I knew already that it would be about the love story with Grace. About the story that had been told on the TV show and then a subsequent story that it is quite supernatural, in which Tommy and Grace meet again beyond the grave.

“I wrote the story, how it should be told, and how it should look. And then Benoit did his magic and made the show. I quite like doing things that seem a bit ridiculous, a bit impossible. It’s more fun rather than just going on to the next logical step.”

The show was a success when it first toured last year and Steven said he wants the production to bring new people to the theatre in the same way his eyes have been opened up to the magic of the stage. He added: “When we did the first tour, we found that a huge proportion of the audience had never been to a dance show and a large proportion had never been to the theatre.

“What tended to happen is that some people, particularly blokes, were dragged there but the great thing is is that when they left, they loved it. It goes back to Rambert in the 20s with that remit of getting people who don’t know they like dance to watch dance.”

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is at the Liverpool Empire from September 17 – 21. You can find out more details on how to get tickets here