"Like driving a car": Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy shares his feelings about reprising his iconic gangster role for The Immortal Man

Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy is all set to take over the dusty Birmingham roads once again, in Peaky Blinders' upcoming feature film, The Immortal Man. The Red Eye actor began playing Tommy Shelby in Steven Knight's BBC crime series in 2013. The show gained immense popularity, even redefined the gangster genre, and concluded its impressive six-season run in 2022.

However, much to fans' surprise, Knight and Murphy announced that Tommy Shelby will return for his final adventure in a feature film titled The Immortal Man, scheduled to release in 2026.

Tommy Shelby's character has now become synonymous with Cillian Murphy, who portrayed the ruthless Birmingham gangster with all his flaws and strengths. The character is certainly one of the most nuanced anti-heroes on the small screen today, and has defined a quarter of the actor's life. In his recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Murphy described his experience of slipping back into the Peaky Blinders' character for the upcoming film:

''It's kind of...when you start, it's difficult. But it ends up like driving a car, the seat just takes over. I mean, you wouldn't want him driving your car.''

The Immortal Man is a highly anticipated film among the Peaky Blinders fans. While many iconic characters will sadly not return for Tommy's last adventure, fans are excited to see Murphy's Tommy on the big screen.

Cillian Murphy will reprise his Peaky Blinders character in The Immortal Man

In Christopher Nolan's 2023 biographical film Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy certainly gave the best performance of his career on the big screen. The actor jumped to even more heights of stardom and rightfully won a BAFTA and an Academy Award for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer. However, to avid Murphy fans, Tommy Shelby was the character that defined his career, and introduced the world to a modern gangster figure.

While Peaky Blinders is based on the real-life story of the titular Irish gang, who were active in Birmingham in the 1880s, Tommy Shelby's character is fictional. Murphy brought his own unique spin to a ruthless gangster, who is also a PTSD suffering decorated soldier returning from World War I. Tommy Shelby, albeit an anti-hero, managed to connect with his audience deeply and came a long way after six seasons of the drama series.

The last time we saw Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders Season 6, he was fighting against Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) and his Fascist ideology. After Tommy uncovered a huge conspiracy against him, he rode off on his white horse into the sunset. However, this was certainly not the end, as Tommy will return for another adventure in The Immortal Man. The movie is set during WWII and will follow Tommy's return to a bombed and ruined Birmingham, and how he will get involved in secret wartime missions.

Other Peaky Blinders characters returning in The Immortal Man

In addition to Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby, many other Peaky Blinders characters will also be seen in the upcoming film. The returning actors to be featured in The Immortal Man include Sophie Rundle as Ada Thorne, Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg, Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs, Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong, and Ian Peck as Curly. Claflin earlier announced that Oswald Mosley will not return in the upcoming film.

Additionally, the film will also feature some new actors, including Rebecca Ferguson, Jay Lycurgo, Barry Keoghan, and Tim Roth.

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Cillian Murphy's portrayal in Peaky Blinders will remain one of the biggest highlights and achievements of his career. The series began as a small Irish production, but is now one of the biggest titles on the small screen. Knight's crime series gained even more success after its Netflix debut in the US, and will unlock even bigger levels of success, following its theatrical release.

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