Peaky Blinders Is Officially Switching Main Characters After 13 Years

Published Sep 26, 2026, 1:47 PM EDT Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He's also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock. Peaky Blinders is coming back, but there’s a catch. For six seasons, Peaky Blinders was one of the best crime dramas on television. The role of Tommy Shelby launched Cillian Murphy to superstardom, and he’s now ranked alongside Walter White and Tony Soprano on lists of TV’s greatest antiheroes. Earlier this year, Murphy reprised his role in a feature-length film adaptation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which brought Tommy out of retirement for one last rumble in the criminal underworld. Now, Netflix and the BBC are seeing if they can make Peaky Blinders work without him. In October 2025, before the movie had even been released, the two companies announced that they were working on a sequel series that would bring the Peaky Blinders back to television. Set in 1953, this new sequel show will catch up with the gang in the aftermath of World War II, as Birmingham builds a better and brighter future out of concrete and steel. Now, exactly who gets the contract for this extensive construction work, rebuilding a city in the ruins of routine bombings, is up for debate. All the most powerful figures in Birmingham want that contract, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it — and the Shelbys will, of course, get caught in the middle. Filming for the new series began in March, with a bunch of exciting names being added to the cast, from Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton to 007 herself, Lashana Lynch. Murphy is executive-producing the sequel show, a title that will surely fetch a few bob, but he’s not stepping back in front of the camera as Tommy. Instead, Peaky Blinders is pivoting to a new lead character: his son, Duke, who will now be played by Jamie Bell. Peaky Blinders Is Switching From Tommy Shelby To His Son, Duke The Immortal Man brought back Tommy for one last rodeo, but it shifted focus to a new character: his son, Duke. Murphy reprised his role in the movie, but less as the star and more as the elder statesman passing the torch on to the franchise’s next lead actor. Barry Keoghan’s turn as Duke was met with a mixed response — some critics appreciated his angry, erratic performance as a counterpoint to Murphy’s more collected demeanor; others felt he was just cosplaying as a Peaky Blinder — but the film successfully set Duke up as the new star of the franchise. The film ended with a big showdown that left Tommy mortally wounded. Duke became the new Rom Baro, he took over as the leader of the Peaky Blinders, and he arranged a traditional Gypsy funeral for his fallen father. As far as passing-the-torch sequences go, it’s up there with Steve Rogers giving the shield to Sam Wilson. Is Tommy Shelby's Story Over In The Peaky Blinders Franchise? The ending of The Immortal Man seemed to give Tommy’s story a definitive conclusion, but then so did the series finale of the original show, and he still came back after that. Murphy seems ready to move on, the new Peaky Blinders series is continuing the story without him, and Tommy is dead. But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see Tommy again at some point, if Steven Knight decides to do a prequel or Tommy appears to someone in a vision like so many characters have appeared to him. But if we never see Tommy again, The Immortal Man was a pretty satisfying ending to his story. His autobiography said what he could never say in person: that, despite his wealth and power, all that really mattered was his family. That’s what Peaky Blinders is all about: the importance of family. It’s a lot like the Fast & Furious franchise in that regard (and only in that regard). Peaky Blinders 9/10 Release Date 2013 - 2022-00-00 Network BBC One, BBC Two Cast Paul Anderson Arthur Shelby