How ‘Peaky Blinders’ Built a Lasting Legacy: Casting, Collaboration and Character Evolution

The long-running British period gangster series Peaky Blinders is getting the movie treatment. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, directed by Tom Harper from a screenplay by Steven Knight, is a continuation of the show, which ran from 2013 to 2022.

Cillian Murphy returns in the central role of powerful gangster Thomas Shelby, joined by a returning ensemble cast that includes Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, Ian Peck and Stephen Graham, as well as newcomers Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Jay Lycurgo and Barry Keoghan.

Key Insights

Long-term creative partnerships, like Steven Knight and Shaheen Baig, are foundational to maintaining a consistent and authentic storytelling voice.

Strategic casting, including both returning actors and carefully chosen newcomers, strengthens continuity while expanding narrative depth.

Actors who draw from personal experience can add emotional realism that deepens audience connection to complex characters.

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The film, which began streaming on Netflix on March 20, sees Shelby now self-exiled. When he hears that his estranged son (Keoghan) is embroiled in a Nazi plot, he returns to Birmingham to save his family and the nation.

A lot has happened between the time the series ended and the film’s release. Murphy won an Oscar for Oppenheimer, and Stephen Graham won three Emmys, for acting, writing and producing on Adolescence, the Netflix limited series.

Throughout the Peaky Blinders’ run and subsequent film, British casting director Shaheen Baig (Black Mirror) has been the one behind the series. Her relationship also extends to Knight’s film A Thousand Blows, which also starred Graham. In fact, Graham turned to Baig when casting Adolescence, which earned her an Outstanding Casting Emmy win.

At a press conference for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Knight told Casting Networks that he initially hired Baig because both of them have roots in Birmingham, which is also the setting of the show. Over the years, as one accumulates the creatives that become part of the core team, Baig has become one of them.

“She’s one of the best there is,” said Knight. “Shaheen is one of those people who really understands the fabric of Peaky. She’s always completely spot on.”

He recalls how Baig brought in Irish actor Packy Lee for one line in the show’s first season.

“He did it in such a way that I said, ‘We’ve got to keep him,’ and he’s been in ever since.”

Keoghan may be a new addition to the Peaky team with The Immortal Man, but he is no stranger to Baig. “She cast me in my first movie in England,” the actor said. Baig cast him in the short film Norfolk, and then later the 2019 feature film Calm With Horses.

In fact, throughout his career, Keoghan has been well aware of Baig’s connection to Peaky. “I’ve asked Shaheen over the years, ‘How can I get in there?’” before jokingly adding, “I’ve had the haircut for about ten years in my personal life!” [The classic Peaky look: shaved sides, longer on top.]

So when the opportunity came to play Tommy Shelby’s son, Duke, Keoghan did not hesitate one bit, leaning into his own personal family dynamics. The Irish actor has long been open about growing up in foster care, as his own mother battled with, and ultimately died from, drug addiction.

“It was the absence I leaned into, and the experience I have in some similar ways to my absence of my dad, and the echoes I’ve heard of him and the kind of figure I’ve made him to be and how I molded him,” Keoghan said. “It sort of humanizes Duke for me to show those vulnerabilities. Obviously, the kid’s going to be an absolute live wire and violent. But they’re all reactions, they’re all cries for help, not to justify each and every one. There’s an animalistic thing of the cub looking for its Dad.”

For Murphy’s part, research wasn’t really necessary at this point.

“The luxury of having played him for so long is that all the research is kind of done,” he said. “You’ve got 13 years of it there. You’ve lived it alongside him and also aged alongside him.”

Ferguson plays a mysterious Romani medium whose late twin sister is Duke’s mother. It’s a role she said Murphy personally asked her to take on. The actress felt “honored” to be trusted to “bring something new to something that is already shaped.”

She also admitted it was nerve-wracking to walk into an environment that was already so established. “You can smell it, and you can taste it nearly,” Feguson said. “It’s all so alive and sizzling and then [you’re] trying to figure out who you are in this environment.”

Ferguson explains how she had a Zoom call with director Tom Harper and Murphy because she had some thoughts and questions.

“You could sense straight away that these people are open to creating something wonderful and being open for any ideas,” she gushed. “It felt very safe and fun. They’ve created a family, and we were welcomed in.”

Key Takeaways

Build a trusted creative team early to ensure continuity and cohesion across long-running projects.

Use casting not just to fill roles but to evolve the story with intention and fresh energy.

Encourage performers to connect personally with their roles to unlock more compelling, human storytelling.