Netflix released the first look at the Peaky Blinders sequel series, and Jamie Bell is stepping in as Duke Shelby. The Immortal Man had only premiered on Netflix 13 days before this announcement, which means Netflix did not even let the dust settle on Barry Keoghan before recasting the role and announcing an entirely new chapter of the franchise. Nobody saw this coming this fast.
Steven Knight says ‘Peaky is on the road again’ as the show moves to post-war Birmingham
Duke Shelby has now been played by three different actors across the franchise. Conrad Khan originated the role in Season 6 as a teenage Duke being introduced into the family fold. Barry Keoghan then took over for The Immortal Man, playing Duke as a young adult fighting alongside his father during World War II.
Bell will now play Duke a decade later, set in the early 1950s. Each actor got a different version of the character, and the progression makes sense on paper.
The new show takes place 10 years after the events of The Immortal Man, with two six-episode seasons now filming in Birmingham for Netflix and the BBC.
The official logline describes Duke as older, wiser, more ambitious, and most certainly more dangerous, with the race to rebuild post-war Birmingham turning into a brutal contest of mythical dimensions.
Steven Knight is essentially building a whole new show around the next generation of Shelbys, and the 1950s setting gives him a completely different world to play with compared to what came before.
Charlie Heaton from Stranger Things will also lead the cast alongside Bell, with hints suggesting he may be leading the new generation of the Birmingham street gang.
Jessica Brown Findlay, Lashana Lynch, and Lucy Karczewski, who is making her television debut, have also been confirmed, though details on their characters are not being shared just yet.
Mike Barker, who directed The Testaments, is directing the first episode. The series will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and globally on Netflix. No premiere date has been announced yet.
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Netflix reveals details of new ‘Peaky Blinders’ sequel series
