Cillian Murphy is currently basking in the glory of his powerful performance as the titular character in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The Irish star who played the father of the atomic bomb, impressed audiences and critics worldwide and has staked a strong claim to become of of the key contenders for the awards season. Before bagging the marquee role, Murphy had already gained cult status with his hit show Peaky Blinders which ran for a successful six seasons.
The Dunkirk star who played the hardened gangster Tommy Shelby in the gritty BBC drama, headlined the series until the final season that aired in April 2022. While there were talks about Peaky Blinders being renewed for a 7th season, disappointed fans were made aware that this was not the case. However, creator Steven Knight did have promising news that the gangster drama will culminate in a full feature length film which could feature a final arc for Cillian Murphy.
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Could Cillian Murphy Return For Peaky Blinders Film?
Peaky Blinders, which is set in post-World War I Birmingham, follows the adventures of the titular gang led by leader Tommy Shelby played by Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy. It is a narrative of power, ambition, and familial ties and is loosely based on a real gang that was active in Birmingham in the late 19th and early 20th century. Over six successful seasons, Murphy who headlined the show, impressed audiences worldwide with his intense performance.
With the confirmation that the show will not enter its 7th season but will instead culminate its narrative through a full length feature film, creator Steven Knight spoke about getting the Inception star back on board to reprise his famous role. Elaborating on his hopes for Murphy’s character, Knight said,
“My intention has always been to redeem him so that, at the end, he’s genuinely a good man doing good things. And finding how that journey happened, and why it happened, and dealing with all the post-traumatic stress of the First World War, and never easing up on that.”
With Cillian Murphy riding high on Oppenheimer’s success, fans of the star will be eager to see him play the iconic Tommy Shelby one last time. The Peaky Blinders film is expected to commence production sometime in 2023.
Why Cillian Murphy Chose An Unusual Role In Inception
Cillian Murphy has been a Christopher Nolan favorite, having starred in 6 of the director’s films so far. While Oppenheimer was his first time shouldering the responsibility of playing the main protagonist, Murphy has been offered this choice before as well by Nolan. In Inception, the filmmaker reportedly gave The Dark Knight star the script with the luxury of choosing any role he wanted in the film. Murphy though, intriguingly picked a very unusual part with much less significance as he felt that it would be the right fit for him.
The star chose to play Robert Michael Fischer who spends most part of the film being unconscious instead of picking one of the main roles that would have given him more recognition. Through his honest and objective decision, Cillian Murphy proved that he was a true cinephile and an actor with integrity.
All six seasons of Peaky Blinders are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Evening Standard
