Why is Oswald Mosley not returning to the Peaky Blinders movie? Reasons behind Sam Claflin's shocking exit, explored

In a recent interview with Metro, actor Sam Claflin made a shocking revelation that his character, real-life politician Oswald Mosley, will not return in the Peaky Blinders feature film. Titled The Immortal Man, the upcoming movie will see the return of Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby and will be set in 1940, against the backdrop of World War II.

Sam Claflin's recent revelation has left the fans shocked, as his character was one of the most menacing antagonists in Peaky Blinders, who was still going strong in the series finale.

As revealed in Season 6, Oswald Mosley was in cahoots with Tommy Shelby's doctor, thus the deadly tuberculoma diagnosis. He convinced Tommy that his days were numbered, following which he started having hallucinations and almost lost his sanity.

While Tommy discovered about the secret alliance in time, and learned that his diagnosis was fake, Oswald Mosley continued to be a threat (and was historically active) in the Peaky Blinders Season 6 finale, which makes Sam Claflin's exit even more shocking.

So why is Sam Claflin's Oswald Mosley not returning in The Immortal Man? The answer lies in Mosley's real-life political career during World War II.

More on this in our story.

Why is Oswald Mosley not returning in the Peaky Blinders movie? Exploring details about the real politician during WWII

Sam Claflin's Oswald Mosley is one among the many real-life historical figures in Peaky Blinders, including Billy Kimber, Jessie Eden, and others.

Mosley rose to fame during the 1920s and 1930s (Seasons 5 and 6 in the show), but after getting disillusioned with politics, he turned to fascism, which led to the formation of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1932.

As revealed in the show, when Tommy entered politics and met Oswald Mosley, he initially wanted the Birmingham leader to become a fascist. However, since Tommy had very different plans for Europe's future and his political ideologies did not align with Mosley's, the two men became enemies.

While Peaky Blinders Season 6 did not expand on Mosley's political career further, the BUF eventually sought alliances with Adolf Hitler and supported N*zi Germany. However, in 1939, Oswald Mosley was implicated in a fascist conspiracy, following which he distanced himself from the group and the movement.

Following the outbreak of World War II (which is the setting of the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie), the BUF was declared illegal, and Oswald Mosley was imprisoned. Even after his release in 1943, he was publicly disgraced, which forced him to move to France in 1951, where he spent the remainder of his life.

Since Oswald Mosley lost all of his power and alliances during World War II, and was not a major player during the time, it makes sense that Sam Claflin will not reprise his character in The Immortal Man. Reiterating the idea, the Me Before You actor discussed his exit with Metro:

''I’ve heard rumours similar that [the film is] set in the future. I think Oswald Mosley kind of started losing light and his following during the war.''

While Oswald Mosley's character arc was not properly concluded during the Peaky Blinders finale, the real-life politician had lost all his powers during WWII, which makes his absence in the film justified.

In addition, The Immortal Man will feature a more personal (and fictional) arc for Tommy Shelby, redeeming the anti-hero in the best possible way. This suggests that Tommy Shelby will fight his inner demons and will be up against new foes, leaving old enemies like Oswald Mosley behind.

Historically, Oswald Mosley lived until 84, mostly in France and Ireland. While he will be very much alive in The Immortal Man universe, Sam Claflin will not be a part of that world in the movie.

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Also Read: 5 times Arthur Shelby proved he was not meant to head the Peaky Blinders

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