10 Things That Need To Happen In The Peaky Blinders Movie

Peaky Blinders is officially returning to screens with a movie, and based on the ending of season 6, there are many things audiences need to see in the Peaky Blinders movie. Star of the show, Cillian Murphy, will be returning as the protagonist of the series Tommy Shelby after Murphy’s recent Best Actor win for Oppenheimer at the Oscars. However, Murphy has made it clear that he’s happy to be returning as Tommy because his story is far from over, and Peaky Blinders wasn’t ready to say goodbye in the finale of season 6.

Before the movie, the show’s story left off with the Peaky Blinders season 6 ending, which left enough questions to justify the continuation of the Shelby family’s story in the upcoming film. Though plenty of characters didn’t make it throughout the seasons, as Peaky Blinders was notorious for killing off many central characters, the surviving characters are expected to return and show the audience what they’ve been up to since the last time the Shelbys were at war. The growth and development of characters like Tommy throughout the show was always what made Peaky Blinders such a compelling series.

10

The Time Jump To World War II

Season 6 ended in 1934, but there’s another war fast approaching

In Peaky Blinders season 1, the audience meets Tommy and his brothers returning to their home of Birmingham after fighting in the trench in World War I in France. Peaky Blinders does an excellent job of weaving in historical context and facts throughout the series while making sure to dramatize events and bend history to best fit the narrative. However, the brutality of war and the toll it takes on Tommy and his brothers is not a fabrication.

It’s frequently discussed that Tommy is a changed man when he returns from war, and that’s what makes him such a good boss. In the finale of season 6, Tommy leaves his life of crime behind and sets off as a new man determined to do what’s right. A large part of the season had to do with the rise of fascism in England, and Tommy directly opposes this in his position in parliament. Although he’s supposedly living off the grid after the events of season 6, Tommy will likely have to step in when another war threatens his country.

9

Tommy & Arthur Reunite

Though Tommy rides off into the sunset Arthur’s fate is still unclear

Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson) might be the oldest Shelby brother, but he was always in Tommy’s shadow throughout the series. Tommy steps up to lead the Peaky Blinders and turn their gang into a legitimate business to protect his family and elevate their position in society. It’s true that Arthur has made his share of mistakes and isn’t the easiest character to root for. Arthur’s quotes in Peaky Blinders show his strengths and weaknesses as a character. However, by the end of season 6, it seems he’s fighting his drug addiction and turning over a new lead.

Where season 6 leaves off, it seems that all the members of Tommy’s family, including Arthur, believe that Tommy is dead. Tommy believed he had a brain tumor and was going to end his life to prevent the spread of the disease. It turns out the diagnosis was a lie, so Tommy decides to live and start a new life. In their last interaction, Arthur indicates that he might take desperate action as well, but if there’s a chance he’s still out there, Tommy will surely find his brother.

8

Ada In Parliament

She was always the best choice to succeed Tommy in the family business

When Tommy leaves in season 6 to supposedly end his life, he mentions to his sister Ada (Sophie Rundle) that she should run to take over his seat in Parliament. Ada has always been one of the most political characters in Peaky Blinders, as her late husband, Freddie Thorne (Iddo Goldberg), was a member of the Communist Party, and she joined the party as well. Though she tries to stay out of the family business for most of the series, Ada can’t help being interested in what Shelby Company Limited is up to, especially once Tommy has political influence.

The female characters on Peaky Blinders are some of the most compelling on the show, and watching Ada grow into a strong woman with firm convictions throughout the seasons proves that she shares Tommy’s intelligence and savvy. Though she might not be the ideal person to take over the business side of things, she’s the ideal person to represent Birmingham in Parliament because of how much she cares about the working class. However, her seat would put her at odds with one of the major antagonists of season 6, Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin).

7

Tommy Grapples With Killing Michael

Michael might have become irredeemable in the later seasons, but he was still family

Michael Gray (Finn Cole) is a worrying character from the moment he’s introduced in Peaky Blinders, and he quickly develops from a thorn in Tommy’s side to one of his biggest enemies. He’s the estranged son of Polly (Helen McCrory), the Shelby siblings’ aunt, who’s reunited with her in season 2 and decides to join the family business. Polly is thrilled to have him back in her life but wants to keep him out of the criminal element of the Peaky Blinders. Tommy does his best to adhere to Polly’s wishes, but Michael has other ideas about his future.

By season 6, Tommy and Michael are at direct odds, and Michael attempts to kill Tommy with a car bomb. However, Tommy finds out about this plot before Michael can carry it out and tricks him before finally ending Michael’s life. Even though Michael plotted against him many times, Tommy will likely carry a good deal of guilt surrounding Michael’s death, especially because he was Polly’s son, and no one in the family was the same after Polly was murdered at the beginning of season 6.

6

Duke Becomes The Leader Of The Peaky Blinders

Tommy’s firstborn son who he meets in season 6

Tommy is not historically the best father in Peaky Blinders. Although much of season 6 is dedicated to him trying to find a cure for his daughter Ruby’s (Heaven-Leigh Clee) illness, he spends little time with any of his children. However, after Ruby tragically dies, Tommy unexpectedly finds himself with another child, Erasmus “Duke” Shelby (Conrad Khan). Duke was conceived before Tommy left for World War I, and his mother died, leaving Duke alone in the world. After Ruby’s death, Duke is found and brought into Tommy’s life to give him some solace.

Duke is thrown into the deep end of the Shelby family and their criminal and business enterprises but soon finds that he has inherited many of his father’s skills. In some ways, becoming the leader of the Peaky Blinders is Duke’s birthright, and he immediately shows his loyalty to Tommy and the family. Loyalty is the most important quality someone can have in the universe of Peaky Blinders, and Tommy’s absence means that Duke has the opportunity to step up and prove himself.

5

Tommy Makes Amends With Lizzie & Charles

After they leave him and try to start a new life

Lizzie Shelby (Natasha O’Keeffe) was always in a difficult position as Tommy’s second wife. Tommy never recovered from the sudden death of his wife Grace (Annabelle Wallis) in season 3, as she was the ultimate love of his life. The child that Tommy and Grace had together, Charles, was frequently neglected by Tommy because of his grief, but when Tommy married Lizzie, she took on the role of matriarch and became a loving stepmother to Charles. However, when she and Tommy’s daughter, Ruby, died and Tommy started drinking again, Lizzie had had enough.

Due to Tommy’s downward spiral, she takes Charles and leaves Tommy so she can start a new life and raise Charles away from the influence of the Shelbys. She suffered an enormous amount of abuse and hardships at Tommy’s hand, and her actions in escaping him and taking Charles with her were justified, especially considering Tommy’s mental and physical state when they leave. However, if Tommy starts a new life and becomes a better man, part of that should be apologizing to both Charles and Lizzie and providing them with whatever support they need to have a good life.

4

Oswald Mosley Is Taken Down

The leader of the fascist party and enemy of Tommy

Oswald Mosely is one of the real historical figures that Peaky Blinders includes throughout the show and is a significant political rival of Tommy throughout seasons 5 and 6. In season 5, Tommy attempts to assassinate Mosley to prevent the fascist faction of England from gaining a foothold in the government, but he fails, and Mosley becomes an even more terrible enemy in the following seasons. However, he is a fascinating and compelling villain who gives a broader look into the historical events of the show.

If the Peaky Blinders movie is going to be set around the time of World War II, Mosely will have to be involved in the plot, as will the real actions of his political movement during this time. Part of the reason Tommy comes out of hiding and rejoins the world could be because of the momentum growing behind Mosely and the necessity for Tommy to take action against them. Concluding Tommy’s story with a win against this evil man would be a fitting end.

3

Remembering Aunt Polly

The matriarch of the family and dearly missed character

Aunt Polly was such a beloved character in the series that the Peaky Blinders Polly spinoff has been confirmed. Unfortunately, Polly never got the ending she deserved in Peaky Blinders because Helen McCrory, the actress who portrayed her, sadly passed away in 2021. She was a wonderful actress and brought Polly to life with grace and empathy on the show, and her absence was felt acutely in season 6. Although the series does pay tribute to her life and legacy in the final season, the movie won’t be the same without her, and the story should draw attention to this.

Even when she was no longer with the show, Polly’s presence was everywhere, and in some ways, she was the closest and most important relationship in Tommy’s life. The Peaky Blinders movie will attempt to wrap up all the unfinished storylines and close the book on this chapter of the Shelby family’s story. While Polly’s death and absence were explained in the show, it wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been, and Tommy and the other Shelbys will likely still be mourning in the film.

2

Finn Returning To Confront Duke

After being banished and kicked out of the family

Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) is the youngest Shelby brother and is largely forgotten about throughout the series. For many years, he was too young to understand the business and take an active part in it, but when he gets older it becomes clear that he doesn’t understand how to be an asset to the family. Tommy takes an active dislike towards him, and it’s Finn who ruins the assassination attempt of Oswald Mosely at the end of season 5. Finn is told that he must dispatch the informant who betrayed the Shelbys, but instead, he betrays them and Duke.

However, Duke is aware that Finn is bound to betray him and turns the tables, banishing Finn from the family. This is a harsh blow considering how new Duke is to being a Shelby and that Finn has always felt rejected and unimportant in comparison to his brothers. Finn’s fate and the promise he makes to Duke that he will return and get his revenge is one of the biggest unresolved stories of the show. Duke and Finn are primed to be the next generation of Shelbys who succumb to infighting and power struggles.

1

Tommy’s Redemption

The uplighting end that Peaky Blinders always promised

There are many theories about what will happen to Tommy Shelby in the Peaky Blinders movie, but his redemption must be the final act that concludes his character arc within the story. Tommy is an anti-hero throughout the narrative, and though it’s impossible not to root for him, he’s made some terrible decisions and hurt people he claimed to love. Although Tommy’s actions are often understandable because of the trauma he’s been through and the betrayals he’s experienced, he’s still a violent man who hasn’t done right by his loved ones.

Peaky Blinders was always interested in what Tommy was going to do next but put his ultimate redemption on the back burner for many seasons of the show. He was always trying to legitimize the business and turn away from a life of crime, but his temper and desire for revenge prevented him from being a truly good man. In the season 6 finale, it’s hinted that Tommy will leave behind the violence of his past and become a new man, and the movie must make good on this promise, giving an optimistic ending to Tommy’s story.