Anyone who has hung on to every grisly crime carried out on the orders -- or at the hands -- of Edwardian England's most famous gangster Tommy Shelby has been eagerly anticipating the next installment in the BBC's international hit drama Peaky Blinders. Now that the television series has come to an end after six series, a film continuing the saga is in the works.
So, now that Tommy Shelby's story has reached the 1930s, what lies in store for the notorious gang from Birmingham? Here's what we know so far.
Peaky Blinders: The Plot
Netflix
Having taken in a vast swathe of post-WWI history, including the time of the 1926 General Strike and the Great Depression, season six left Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in the early 1930s. His fateful meeting with British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, played with adroitness by Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), led to his infiltration of the British Union of Fascists, a failed assassination attempt, and by the series' end, the exacting of revenge on Michael (Finn Cole) for his loss of Tommy's fortune, and many more things besides.
But how much of this will have any bearing on the film is not yet clear. Although there had been speculation that the film would constitute a prequel dating from before the First World War, it appears that the film currently being worked on by creator Stephen Knight will, in fact, be a continuation, with Knight confirming earlier this year that the story will be based on one set during the Second World War.
Peaky Blinders: The Cast
No information has been released on the film's casting, but various sources have revealed their hopes and intentions for the production. Cillian Murphy has indicated his involvement in the movie, while Knight revealed earlier this year that he was eager for Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland, who has previously confirmed he tried and failed to win a part in the TV series in the past, to star in the film.
Shelby's elder brother Arthur Jr., played with relish by Paul Anderson (Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows), will also appear in a starring role.
Whether Tom Hardy will reprise his role as Alfie Solomons remains to be seen, but the Hollywood actor has had a busy schedule in recent months, starring in the soon-to-be-released Gareth Evans thriller film Havoc and co-writing the script for the Marvel Universe film Venom 3. He is also slated to star as British Vietnam War photographer Don McCullin in a biopic that remains in development.
Winston Churchill -- who fans have seen develop into a significant figure on the British political scene during the series -- may yet appear given the film's WWII setting. Though the character has been played by three different actors during the show's run, Neil Maskell's (High-Rise, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead) portrayal was the most compelling, and fans would be likely to want the actor to reprise the role.
Knight has confirmed that new characters would be introduced for the Peaky Blinders film outing but remained tight-lipped about their relationship with the Shelbys or their role in the film.
Schedule
At this time, Knight has finished writing the film's script, as he mentioned during a radio interview last month. Knight went on to say that several filming locations in Birmingham close to where the actual Peaky Blinders gang operated in the early twentieth century have been scouted out and decided upon. However, Knight "hoped" that filming would begin in the next eighteen months, which in practice suggests some time in 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
Those expecting a quick turnaround may, however, be disappointed. Knight has several other projects in the mix, including a hotly-anticipated BBC drama about the beginnings of the British Special Air Service, SAS: Rogue Heroes, that is believed to be heading for a premiere date at the end of this year; the cast includes Downton Abbey: A New Era star Dominic West, Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones, Close To The Enemy), and Sex Education's Connor Swindells. Knight is also working on a new BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, starring Oscar winner Olivia Coleman as Miss Havisham; filming began in March.
However, fans suffering from withdrawal symptoms can always take solace in the staging of a dance show based on the series that begins its U.K. run at a Birmingham theater next month, as well as a virtual-reality theater show, Peaky Blinders: The Rise, currently showing in London, and Knight's suggestion that several spinoff series -- the beginnings of a Blinderverse? -- are being considered for development.