Spoiler warning: This article discusses the ending of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.

Tommy’s final act

Cillian Murphy has spoken about the dramatic conclusion of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the 1940-set film that follows the aftermath of the TV series. Murphy confirmed what many suspected. In the new film, Tommy Shelby dies after being shot while trying to stop a Nazi plot aimed at crippling Britain during the war.

Why he could not survive

When asked whether there was any scenario where Tommy survived the events in the movie, Murphy was blunt. "I don't think so," he said. He and the creative team treated the film as the final chapter of Tommy’s story, and the death felt like the only way to close that book.

Family brings the story full circle

Creator Steven Knight wrote the film as a family story, and Murphy liked how that landed. The final scene centers on Tommy and his eldest son, Duke Shelby, played by Barry Keoghan. At Tommy’s request, Duke is the one who pulls the trigger to end his father’s suffering after injuries from their Nazi-aligned antagonist, Beckett, leave Tommy fatally hurt.

Murphy praised Knight’s handling of the material. "I really loved the way that Steve worked it out and navigated it," he said, noting that the show was always rooted in family, and that made the father and son ending feel appropriate.

What happened to the rest of the family

  • Ada Shelby Thorne, played by Sophie Rundle, is the only one of the original five siblings still in Birmingham in the film.
  • John Shelby died in season four of the series.
  • Arthur Shelby has also died by the time of the film.
  • Finn Shelby remains estranged and is effectively excommunicated from the family.

Meanwhile, the new generation of Peaky Blinders, led by Duke, is active in Small Heath. The film shows Beckett, played by Tim Roth, trying to recruit Duke into a scheme to wreck the British economy and influence the course of the war. When Duke refuses to follow orders that would harm his family, things escalate and the clash brings Tommy back into the conflict at Ada’s urging.

Murphy on the end of a long shift

Murphy described the conclusion as satisfying. He pointed out the scale of the work: 36 hours of television across the series followed by a two-hour film. "This is really, really satisfying," he said. He added that working with strong writing made him proud of what they delivered over a long run with the character.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is available on Netflix now.