Steven Knight has said that Peaky Blinders’ final season will ‘go into World War II and beyond’ and is ‘the beginning’s end’ as he teases future film releases.
For many years producers claimed that the gangster show would end with air-raid sirens over Birmingham marking the start of World War Two.
But in an apparent U-turn, Knight revealed that the sixth series is only the end of the narrative on the small screen and teased that the story will continue into a feature-length film.
New Beginnings: For many years producers claimed that the gangster show would end with air-raid sirens over Birmingham marking the start of World War II
‘There was always Britain between wars – how lessons from one war were not learned and repeated,’ he told Empire.
‘It’s also the end of the empire: we enter World War II and by the end of it, there really is no empire. But I… have modified the scope of what it is.
‘It will now go into World War II and beyond. Because I think I want to continue the energy the world has for this, and I want to see how it can go beyond that..
‘I think of this sixth series as the end of the beginning.’
U-turn: But in an apparent U-turn, Knight reveals that the sixth series is only ‘the beginning’s end’ and that the story will continue into a feature-length film
it comes as final Peaky Blinders’ season premiere will likely take place in February, with show star Cillian Murphy promising a “gothic” tone.
New cast member Conrad Khan told Radio Times that he was told the new season would hit screens in February, which follows the release of the new trailer earlier this month.
He added that the show “comes out, which is the last time I heard – I mean, these things change so quickly – I think it will come out next February”.
Coming soon: Peaky Blinders’ sixth and final season will likely premiere in February, with show star Cillian Murphy promising a ‘gothic’ tone
The actor, who plays a new character on the show, said: ‘There was so much footage, so many episodes, that it takes a while to edit – six months or something.’
Meanwhile, Cillian, who plays Tommy Shelby, has teased a darker tone for the final season, telling Rolling Stone: ‘I think it’s going to be very intense.
The word we keep using is “gothic”. Yes, it’s going to be heavy!”
The highly anticipated trailer for its final season of Peaky Blinders has left fans on the edge of their seats as Tommy Shelby sets fire to intense scenes.
Tone: Cillian, who plays Tommy Shelby, has teased a dark tone for the final season, telling Rolling Stone: ‘I think it’s going to be very intense’
Interview: New cast member Conrad Khan told Radio Times that he was told the new season would hit screens in February, which follows the release of the new trailer earlier this month.
The 90-second teaser trailer begins with Tommy dramatically walking through a shadowy area while shouting a machine gun before firing it into the air.
‘One last deal to be made, then we rest the Peaky Blinds,’ says Tommy.
The trailer was jam-packed with nail-biting stand-offs, intense fight scenes, and a devastating fire, leaving fans wondering what plot the final series would bring.
Drama: Peaky Blinders The much-anticipated trailer for its final series left fans on the edge of their seats as Tommy Shelby opened fire
Tense scenes also included the appearance of Joe Cole’s John Shelby, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Gina Gray, and the fascist leader Oswald Mosley, played by Sam Claflin.
Stephen Graham, best known for his roles in This Is England and Line of Duty, has also joined the cast for the final series of the Birmingham crime drama.
It was previously revealed that Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons would return for the sixth and final series, as many fans believed he was dead after being shot by Tommy.
Tension: The trailer was filled with nail-biting stand-offs, intense fight scenes, and a devastating fire, leaving fans wondering what plot the final series would bring.
Fans took to Twitter to share their theories about the upcoming series’ story, with many speculating that some of their favorite characters may have died.
One fan wrote: ‘I’m not ready to see Peaky Blinders end.’
Another commented: ‘I’ve done this with all my favorite characters dying in TV shows and I know it’s going to happen in extreme darkness too.’
And a third said: ‘I can’t believe the last series is doomed, it’s an understatement.’
While the fourth wrote: ‘The new trailer for Peaky Blinders looks intense. We got to see Alfie.. Signs of mourning Polly.. Political Tommy once again…
Fan Favorites: Tense scenes also included the appearance of Joe Cole’s John Shelby, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Gina Gray, and fascist leader Oswald Mosley played by Sam Claflin.
Novice: Stephen Graham, known for his roles in This Is England and Line of Duty, has also joined the cast for the final series of the Birmingham crime drama.
‘And the flames behind Michael I think he’s the one who betrayed Shelby.. can’t wait! I wish we had a date for the premiere…’ (sic)
This is the first series since former star Helen McCrory, who played Polly, died of cancer at the age of 52.
Cillian has previously said that filming the sixth season of Peaky Blinders without her late co-star was “extremely sad”.
Paying tribute to Helen, the Irish actor revealed: ‘She was like the matriarch of Peaky Blinders, and I think is my closest ally on the show.’
He continued: ‘She was undoubtedly one of the best actors I had the pleasure of working with.’
‘I’m not ready’: Fans took to Twitter to share their theories about the upcoming series’ story, with many speculating that some of their favorite characters may have died
Speaking to TODAY FM, Cillian said: ‘But just an extraordinary human being on top of that. So it’s really sad. And we’re all still dealing with it like everyone else, and we really miss that.’
Cillian also said that the scenes he shot with Helen were ‘always her favourite’.
Peaky Blinders centers around his gang of the same name run by the ruthless Tommy and his family, and sees them build their power and influence in Birmingham and beyond.
It has been more than two years since season five aired its final episode, while the sixth series will begin where the fifth series began on 7 December 1929 in the morning after a rally led by Oswald.
He’s Back: It was also revealed that Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons would return for the sixth and final series, leading many fans to believe he was dead after being shot by Tommy.
Tragic: This is the first series since former star Helen McCrory (pictured with Cillian), who played Polly, died of cancer at the age of 52.
The fifth season ended on a cliff, with Tommy seeing his late wife Grace (Annabelle Wallis) and gunning himself down after his failed assassination attempt on the British Union of Fascist leader.
Peaky Blinders’ sixth season resumed filming in January, after the show was forced to close last March due to the coronavirus crisis.
The BBC show has been running for eight years and has enjoyed great popularity, but the sixth season has been confirmed as the final, with producer Steven Knight confirming that the story will return ‘in another form’.
Producer Steven Knight recently hinted that Peaky Blinders could continue without Cillian’s lead character, telling Birmingham Live: ‘There may be worlds that are part of a Peaky world that are about someone else. ‘
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