‘Peaky Blinders’ ending was perfect, says Cillian Murphy, but he’s “open” to a spin-off movie
Cillian Murphy has insisted that the ending to Peaky Blinders wrapped up a “perfect” six seasons, but said he’s “open” to a spin-off movie.
The Oppenheimer actor was speaking to Barbie star Margot Robbie as part of Variety‘s Actors On Actors series when he was asked about his famous role as Tommy Shelby in the hit series.
Murphy described his time on the post-World War One period drama – which followed the exploits of the Birmingham-based Peaky Blinders crime family – from 2013-2022 as an “adventure”.
When Robbie asked if there was any possibility of a spin-off movie, the Irish actor said he’s “open to the idea” if “there’s more story to tell”.
He echoed similar comment he made last year, adding: “I’m totally open to the idea, but I also do think it was a kind of perfect six seasons. It’s sometimes hard to move into the film format, and I do like the ambiguity of the ending, but I’m always open to a great script, who wouldn’t be?”
Murphy went on to share with Robbie that fans often come up to him to recite “Tommy fookin’ Shelby” to him in the show’s distinctive Brummie dialect.
The pair’s conversation followed the summer cinematic phenomenon dubbed ‘Barbenheimer’ after their respective films were released on the same day. Robbie said during the conversation that she refused to move the release date for Barbie to make way for Oppenheimer.
Peaky Blinders concluded with its sixth and final season with the episode ‘Lock and Key’ in April 2022, which left Tommy’s future ambiguous.
NME unpacked the episode upon its airing last year, writing: “And yet, as the ever-growing Peaky franchise is burnt to the filter – an episode exciting, intriguing, and surprisingly funny it should be said – we can’t help thinking what it was that Tommy whispered to Duke as the Shelbys dined in the shadow of horses and caravans. This is an infuriating dramatic device, it really is. It’s also yet another reason why we’ll be glued to whatever comes next in the Peaky Blinders world.”
Earlier this year, Murphy said that his roles in Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders have put him off smoking.
Meanwhile, the BBC recently released a series of first look images of This Town, the new drama series from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
Knight last year confirmed he’d almost finished writing a feature length spin-off film, but hasn’t revealed any details about casting just yet.
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Hollie Geraghty
NME
