The Dark Knight Rises' Cillian Murphy has signed on to take the lead in BBC Two's gangster family drama Peaky Blinders. The actor will be portraying a ruthless gangster named Tommy in the series.

Steven Knight's six part series is set in Birmingham in the early 1900's. The story follows Tommy's (Cillian Murphy) family as they rule the lawless slums of the city only to be challenged by a Belfast police chief. The name Peaky Blinders comes from the practice of sewing razor blades into the peaks of caps, which is what the family was known for.

Cillian Murphy most recently appeared as Scarecrow in The Dark Knight Rises and will be seen in another British drama titled Broken.

The project starts principal photography in September.