Updated March 19, 2026, 1:38 p.m. ET
At the end of six fan-beloved “Peaky Blinders” seasons in 2022, Thomas Michael “Tommy” Shelby (Cillian Murphy) faked his own death and rode off from his mobster past on a white horse.
But that illicit past keeps pulling Shelby back, at least for the movie “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.”
The additional story was always part of the plan for Shelby, a World War I veteran who rules his family’s criminal empire from Birmingham, England, according to series creator Steven Knight.
“I have a clip of myself saying after Season 1 that I would take this story into the Second World War,” says Knight, who wrote the WWII-era “Immortal Man” screenplay. “I was very confident, considering that this was just a tiny BBC show at the time. But Tommy Shelby was never going to ride away into the sunset and live happily ever.”
Here’s exactly what you need to know about “Immortal Man,” which streams on Netflix March 20 after a two-week theatrical run that started March 6.
Who’s returning from ‘Peaky Blinders’ to ‘Immortal Man’?
The tough part about chronicling a crime family is that characters get killed (like wife Grace Shelby, played by Annabelle Wallis) or die off-screen, like Aunt Polly (after the real-life death of actress Helen McCrory). “Immortal Man” begins with Tommy, a recluse in his home, haunted by his past and writing a don’t-do-this memoir.
His crime-averse sister Ada (Sophie Rundle) has taken over Tommy’s seat in the House of Commons. But she isn’t allowed in his house. Tommy reluctantly meets Ada in her car outside his gates to talk. Loyal Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) returns, still looking after the boss, along with Curly (Ian Peck) and non-biological Uncle Charlie (Ned Dennehy).
Hayden Stagg (Stephen Graham), the Liverpool docker who clashed with Tommy in Season 6, comes to his onetime foe’s aid in the movie.
Wait, is Arthur Shelby in the ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie?
Older brother Arthur Shelby survived the digging of WWI tunnels behind enemy lines with Tommy, became his right-hand man in the family business, and somehow stayed off the TV series casualty list. But “Revenant” star Paul Anderson, who played fan-favorite Arthur, has dealt with public personal issues, was fined for crack cocaine possession in 2024, and has made clear in interviews that he was left out of “Immortal Man.”
Arthur still appears in the movie, and his presence is a major plot driver. Knight says Arthur’s diminished role was for “story reasons.”
“Tommy has done a lot of bad things for good reasons and his family,” says Knight, who adds that Arthur’s movie plight haunts Tommy. “I wanted to find [Tommy] in exile for what happened and offer him a chance at redemption.”
What is ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ about?
Tommy would have lived a quiet, bucolic life in central England, but was forever changed by the horrors of World War I after volunteering to fight for his country. Tommy, whose family has Romani ancestry, had an affair with a Romani woman, Zelda, before leaving for war, as mentioned in Season 6.
Zelda died. Tommy survived the war, emerging with a jaded outlook and a superpower: never fearing death again. The couple’s illegitimate son, Erasmus “Duke” Shelby, appeared in Season 6, played by Conrad Khan, and became a part of the Peaky Blinders family.
Amid the backdrop of the WWII German bombing of Birmingham, retired Tommy is stirred into action by Zelda’s sister, Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson). Kaulo wants to stop Duke (now played by “Dunkirk” star Barry Keoghan), who is chaotically running the Peaky Blinders gang, from being consumed by the lifestyle.
“Duke has turned out badly,” Knight says. “But there is an innocence about him, along with him being this ruthless gangster.”
Tommy is pulled back into gangster life to prevent his firstborn son from becoming a victim of it. While he’s at it, the unpatriotic Tommy has reason to thwart the Nazis, a secret of which is are working with Duke’s Peaky Blinders.
“Now Tommy has all of these personal reasons to get back involved,” Knight says. “Not to mention that the Gypsies are being targeted by the Nazi regime.”
Is ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie based on a true story?
The Peaky Blinders were a violent Birmingham-based street gang in the 1800s and early 1900s. However, the series is fictional as is “Immortal Man.” The movie works in real-life historical events such as the deadly German bombing of the Birmingham Small Arms factory on Nov. 19, 1940, which killed 53 employees who refused to take shelter.
Likewise, Operation Bernhard, a Nazi plot to masterfully counterfeit millions in British currency to crash consumer confidence, stirs the plot in a fanciful direction.
“Operation Bernhard is the most incredible true story that was kept secret by the British government for years,” Knight says.
Will ‘Peaky Blinders’ become a Netflix series again?
Knight confirms plans to restart “Peaky Blinders” with a new series after the movie. The TV revival will follow a whole new gang of Shelbys in the 1950s after “Immortal Man.”
“We’re doing a new series,” Knight says. “I can’t talk about it, but the ‘Peaky Blinders’ story will continue.”
