'Peaky Blinders' Casts Jamie Bell and Charlie Heaton in 1950s-Set Sequel Series

By the order of the Peaky Blinders, a new generation is born. Officially, at last.

The BBC had already confirmed that the story of the Shelby clan would continue beyond the conclusion of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the feature film that brought the tortured story of the original Peaky Blinders anti-hero, Tommy Shelby, to a close. But it’s only now, two weeks after the movie’s release, that we’re finally getting some actual details about what’s next.

No one who has seen Immortal Man will be surprised to learn that this next iteration of the franchise will follow Duke Shelby, Tommy’s eldest son and the new de facto leader of the gang in the wake of his father’s death. But he won’t be played by Barry Keoghan (Saltburn). Instead, Jamie Bell (Half Man) will take over the role of Duke, now a bit over a decade older, presumably wiser, and almost certainly more dangerous than he used to be.

The recast makes a certain amount of sense — Keoghan himself took over the role from Conrad Khan for the film, and the decade-plus time jump between the events of The Immortal Man and the second set of Peaky Blinders television seasons means that aging up Duke again is a smart play. Plus, who else could this story have been about?

Bell will be joined by former Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton, though both Netflix and the BBC are being cagey about who he is playing. Might he be Tommy’s younger son, Charles, drawn back to the life his father always tried to keep him out of? One of Arthur or John’s kids? It’s a family business, after all.

Here’s the synopsis.

In this new era of Peaky Blinders, a decade after World War Two, the race to rebuild Birmingham becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions. This is a city of unprecedented opportunity and jeopardy. At its blood-soaked heart is Duke Shelby: older, wiser, more ambitious, and most certainly more dangerous.

“I am thrilled that we are announcing a new era of Peaky Blinders, moving the story to post-war Birmingham in the early 50s,” series creator Steven Knight said in a statement. “We are incredibly fortunate to have Jamie Bell taking the role of Tommy Shelby’s oldest son, Duke, and to have Charlie Heaton also leading the cast. There are more exciting cast announcements to come, and Peaky is on the road again.”

Alongside Bell and Heaton, Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Lashana Lynch (The Day of the Jackal), and Lucy Karczewski (Stereophonic) are all confirmed to be part of the series’ ensemble cast. However, details of their roles are still being kept under wraps.

Produced by Banijay UK’s Kudos and Garrison Drama for the BBC and Netflix, the new series is being filmed in and around Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham.

There’s no word yet on when we’ll see Peaky Blinders return to our screens. Seasons 1-6 and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man are all streaming on Netflix.