Tommy Shelby and your favorite Birmingham gang are back with immaculate suits, cool accents, guns, and an intriguing plot. Yes, the widely popular, stylish period crime drama Peaky Blinders is returning with a feature-length film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which will pick up where the show left off after the conclusion of its sixth season. Set to release on March 20, 2026, on Netflix, the cast members are currently on the promotional trail, and actor Barry Keoghan recently revealed that working with Cillian Murphy on the project was a cathartic experience.
Playing Tommy Shelby’s son gave Barry Keoghan closure
Barry Keoghan plays Duke Shelby, Tommy Shelby’s illegitimate son. Introduced in Season 6, he begins to work closely with the Shelby organization and is expected to have a larger role within the Shelby family’s operations in the upcoming film. In a recent interview with Variety, he had an interesting perspective to share about the dynamic he experienced with Cillian Murphy, who plays his father in the movie.
He said Murphy and the film’s setting provided a “safe space” for him to be vulnerable and tap into the emotions he felt while dealing with his own troubled childhood and growing up with an absent father.
“It was such a safe space to be vulnerable and bring my own story to it. As a dad and also having an absent father, and leaning into that, that cry for help, and that sort of mentality and attitude of the world is against me,” he said.
He further stated that as he grew older, he developed a lot of empathy for his parents, who may have been facing their own problems while raising him. Although Keoghan’s parents are no longer alive, he hinted at a desire that will sadly remain unfulfilled.
“Just as I got older, and got perspective, realizing that my own parents had problems and they were just human. I only wish that I would be able to have a conversation with them again, you know, hear them out,” he noted.
The actor added that working on the film gave him a sense of closure, describing the experience as therapeutic as he navigated his past trauma through the filming process rather than simply portraying a hardened Shelby gangster. “It was therapeutic. There were some answers for me in the script. I really leaned into that rather than playing the menacing Tommy Shelby’s son.”
Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1992, Keoghan grew up in a broken home, with an absent father and a mother who struggled with drug addiction. Keoghan’s mother passed away from a heroin overdose when he was still a child, forcing him to spend much of his childhood in foster care with his brother Eric. Ultimately, he and his brother were taken in by their aunt and grandmother, who raised them during their teenage years.
As painful as his childhood was, it is commendable that Keoghan still developed a deep sense of compassion toward his parents, and the upcoming film appears to have helped him navigate some of the complicated emotions surrounding his past.
That being said, are you excited about the upcoming Peaky Blinders film? Let us know in the comments section below.
