Netflix is not done with the Shelby family

By order of Netflix, Peaky Blinders is getting a new chapter. Actually, it is getting two new series, because apparently one sprawling crime saga was not enough to settle things in Birmingham.

The original BBC series became a major hit on Netflix, which then approved an original film sequel, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The two newly announced shows are set 10 years after that film, and the film itself takes place six years after the end of the first series.

The announcement arrived just 13 days after The Immortal Man debuted on Netflix. Before that, the movie had a two-week theatrical run, because streaming and cinemas now have to share the same family drama whether they like it or not.

A new Duke Shelby takes over

The new series will feature a different Duke Shelby. Jamie Bell will play Tommy Shelby’s son, taking over the role from Barry Keoghan, who played Duke in The Immortal Man.

Netflix did not offer a detailed explanation for the recast, though the timing and Keoghan’s rising profile make the change feel less mysterious than the show would probably prefer.

Charlie Heaton, known for Industry, will join Bell in the next-generation Shelby story. Netflix also confirmed Jessica Brown Findlay, Lashana Lynch and Lucy Karczewski for the cast, though their roles are being held back for later.

What the new series are about

The logline sets the scene in postwar Birmingham and promises the same sort of cheerful family business the franchise has built its name on:

“In this new era of Peaky Blinders, a decade after World War Two, the race to rebuild Birmingham becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions. This is a city of unprecedented opportunity and jeopardy. At its blood-soaked heart is Duke Shelby: older, wiser, more ambitious and most certainly more dangerous.”

Duke Shelby, of course, is the bastard, gypsy son of Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy. Tommy is killed in the film, so the franchise has already done the work of clearing the board.

Bell is seven years older than Keoghan. Duke, according to the internet, is also about an inch shorter. The details matter, naturally.

Steven Knight says the road continues

Steven Knight, who created and writes the series and film, said he was excited to move the story into the early 1950s.

“I am thrilled that we are announcing a new era of Peaky Blinders, moving the story to post-war Birmingham in the early 50s,” Knight said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have Jamie Bell taking the role of Tommy Shelby’s oldest son, Duke, and to have the incredible Charlie Heaton also leading the cast. There are more exciting cast announcements to come, and Peaky is on the road again.”

The new series will be filmed in Birmingham, keeping the setting at home even as the timeline moves forward.