Cillian Murphy will return in Peaky Blinders

Cillian Murphy in “Peaky Blinders”

Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

Academy Award-winning actor Cillian Murphy will return to the humble streets of Birmingham in a new role in the hit BBC film series When… Slim masks Feature films will be released later this year, the show’s creator has confirmed.

the Oppenheimer The star, who capped off this year’s awards season by winning the Best Actor Oscar at this month’s Academy Awards, starred in the hit BBC crime series as Tommy Shelby, the leader of a street gang. News that he will reprise the role in the sequel was confirmed by creator Steven Knight during a red carpet interview on Tuesday at the premiere of his new BBC series. This city.

“It’s definitely coming back to that. “We’re shooting it in September down the road in Digbeth,” Knight told Birmingham World in reference to the central Birmingham area.

While speaking with the magazine, Knight also complimented Murphy on his talent and professionalism after the actor tore up awards season, winning multiple acting awards for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture-winning film.

It was so worth it. “I mean he’s great, he’s a great human being and he leads the line when we’re shooting, he’s very poised and direct,” Knight said. “He deserves everything he gets.”

BBC representatives did not immediately respond to an email from Hollywood Reporter To confirm the news.

Murphy recently spoke about his interest in reprising his role as violent gang leader Shelby during his guest spot on the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs.

“I’ve always said that if Knight comes up with a script that I know he can deliver, because he’s an exceptional writer, I’ll be there,” Murphy said. “If we want to watch 50-year-old Tommy Shelby, let’s do it.”

‘Skinny masks’ The story begins in 1919 during the months immediately following World War I and jumps forward through the final two seasons, from 1925 to 1929, and then to 1933. In 2021, when it was announced that the sixth season of the series would be the final chapter of the story on television . Knight hinted at the film, saying that “the story will continue in another form,” which he revealed more ahead of the premiere of the final season of the series.

“Peaky will end — in this incarnation — but we’re making a film that will also take the family and the stories back to World War II,” Knight told reporters gathered in Birmingham in 2022.