Rebecca Ferguson confirmed to join Cillian Murphy in Netflix ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie
As excitement builds over Steven Knight’s feature-length follow-up to the incredibly popular BBC series Peaky Blinders, details surrounding the cast of the film have been revealed. Of course, Cillian Murphy will return to his role as Tommy Shelby, but he will be joined by a number of other actors who did not appear in the original series, such as Rebecca Ferguson.
Known for her incredibly diverse filmography, including major roles in works like Dune: Part Two and Doctor Sleep, the exact details surrounding the Swedish actor’s role in Peaky Blinders remains unknown, at the time of writing. According to creator Knight, the Netflix film will pick up where the BBC series left off, following the Shelby mob family as they navigate the changing landscape of Birmingham during world war two.
Notably, Ferguson was not present for any of the original Peaky Blinders series on the BBC, which suggests the introduction of new characters to the cinematic world of the show. Thus far, Murphy has been the only actor from the original series who has been confirmed for the casting of the Netflix film, but it is assumed that more will follow as details emerge about the project.
The original television series of Peaky Blinders first debuted back in 2013, and ran for an impressive six series spanning nine years. Earlier this year, it was announced that Knight had been working alongside BBC Film and Netflix to green light a feature film based on the crime-ridden world of Peaky Blinders.
At current, details surrounding the plot of the film are scarce, but Knight did note, “I’m genuinely thrilled that this movie is about to happen,” during a statement which accompanied the film’s announcement. “It will be an explosive chapter in the Peaky Blinders story,” he said, “No holds barred. Full-on Peaky Blinders at war.”
Given that the first series of the show followed Shelby immediately after the end of the first world war, the film detailing the outbreak of world war two feels like a fitting bookend to the world of the Peaky Blinders.
Although Knight has penned the script of the film, it will reportedly be directed by Tom Harper, who previously directed three episodes of Peaky Blinders back in 2013. Filming for the project is due to commence later this year, with no reasonable release date in sight just yet. Nevertheless, the announcement of Ferguson and Murphy together on screen has succeeded in building anticipation for the unveiling of the film.