Opening in theaters on March 6th before premiering on Netflix March 20th is ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man‘, which is a continuation of the popular series, ‘Peaky Blinders’ and written by series creator Steven Knight.
iqluTuRyVgtYNI0X3MN4B4Directed by Tom Harper (‘The Aeronauts’), the film stars returning cast members Cillian Murphy (‘Oppenheimer’) as Thomas Shelby, Stephen Graham (‘Adolescence’) as Hayden Stagg, Sophie Rundle (‘The Midnight Sky’) as Ada Thorne, Ned Dennehy (‘The Eagle’) as Charlie Strong, and Packy Lee (‘The Witcher’) as Curly, as well as new cast members Barry Keoghan (‘Saltburn’), Rebecca Ferguson (‘Dune’), and Tim Roth (‘Pulp Fiction’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tim Roth and screenwriter Steven Knight about their work on ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’, developing the screenplay for the movie, how Roth got involved with the project, his take on his character, working with Cillian Murphy, how Thomas Shelby has changes since the series, and why Knight wants to thank the fans for their devotion.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Roth and Knight, as well as director Tom Harper.
Related Article: 5 Things We Learned At The ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ Press Conference
Moviefone: To begin with, Steven, can you talk about developing the screenplay and did you always know that this film would be how the ‘Peaky Blinders’ story would end?
Steven Knight: Yeah, the actual details of the story were not set, but I always wanted it to end in the Second World War, and for it to end as a film. In fact, somebody showed me a clip of an interview I did just after the end of the first series, when it was a little BBC Two thing. For some reason, I’m very arrogantly saying, “What I want to do is take this all the way to World War II and I want it to be a feature film.” I’m thinking, “What are you going on about?” But here we are.
MF: Tim, were you a fan of the TV series and what was your first reaction to the screenplay for the movie?
Tim Roth: I hadn’t watched the series at all. I’d worked with Cillian back in the day, and then I’d known him over the years, and we’d given him an award in Cannes and stuff like that. I mean, I was a fan and I loved him, but I hadn’t seen the show. I’d bumped into him when he was filming it over the years, because I’d be in Liverpool, or I’d been in Birmingham or whatever. There was a joy there. Also, the series had a reputation within the acting world of, “Oh, you want to work on that. It’s such fun. The characters are great to play,” and so on. So that happened. But what happened was I texted Cillian after he got his Oscar and told him, “Just keep your head down and run for the hills.” He said, “Doing it. Do you want to do a film?” That was how it happened. He did the same with Barry and I think he got Rebecca on. So, he’s causing some kind of furor in the casting world because he’s actually taking over as a casting director.
MF: What was your first reaction to your character? Did you understand his point of view right away?
TR: I thought he was brilliant. When he was written, he had a different twist to him. He was in the upper classes. I asked these guys if I could flip it and make him more of a normal guy, because I felt If he’s coming out from what seems like a much more normal and regular place, when the mask comes off, its more terrifying. Also, he needs to be able to communicate with Peaky Blinders and they wouldn’t talk to a toff. They wouldn’t talk to an upper-class snob.
MF: Steven, can you talk about how Thomas Shelby has changed since the series and what it was like working Cillian Murphy again?
SK: Always great to work with Cillian, because he’s not only just a brilliant actor, but he leads the line. He’s such a professional, all those things, et cetera, et cetera, but all true with him. I wanted the character to have done something, because Tommy Shelby’s done some bad things over the years, but I wanted to find him, and he’s done something that he cannot forgive himself for, and it’s to do with his family. That guilt is a new thing. Then, I wanted to offer him the opportunity of redemption, the opportunity to be forgiven for what he’s done by doing something good. It’s something good for his son, but it’s also something good for the country. Both acts, both things are done by the same action, which is how the film ends. When you’ve got actors like this that are so good, you can be quite bold in the scope of the emotional territory you’re going for.
MF: Tim, what was your experience like working with Steven and director Tom Harper on this project?
TR: They gave us the space, which is a rarity nowadays, especially. Usually, all screen time is taken up with people speaking, or the music, or both. Cillian was talking about this this morning. You never get moments of silence to play. It’s a very rare thing now. I mean, there’s a history of that in the show and in the film. It rears its head well. So, we could watch each other without it being cut. We could just take the time. I think that makes it more cinematic, and a more beautifully told story. I wish it was in the cinemas longer, I must say. But there’s a community out there and they got it now. So, they get paid back and it’s lovely.
MF: Finally, Steven, as you know, fans of the series are very excited for this movie to finally be released. Have you felt that fan anticipation since the series ended?
SK: I mean, the fans have been the engine of this whole thing. They’ve been the energy behind it. It was not massively publicized when it first started. It wasn’t promoted heavily. Fans found it. I think when people find something for themselves, it increases the loyalty to it and people get evangelical about it. They want other people to know how good it is. So that’s what happened with this. We really wanted the energy of the fans to not diminish. So, we knew there was a timescale to this. We wanted to get the film out there. But what I have noticed is there was a lot of anticipation, people who wanted it. But something new has happened. There’s an increasing amount of energy and fandom going on with the film. Like back home in England, you can’t get a ticket. It’s sold out everywhere and in Birmingham, there’s a cinema that’s doing four shows a day, starting at 8:00 AM, and you still can’t get a ticket. So, what we wanted to do from the very beginning was reward the fans with a film that’s in theaters where people can go and watch it together. They can dress accordingly if they wish but share the emotion at the end. That’s what’s happening, so there’s a new level now.
What is the plot of ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’?
After his estranged son (Barry Keoghan) gets embroiled in a Nazi plot, self-exiled gangster Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) must return to Birmingham to save his family — and his nation.
Who is in the cast of ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’?
- Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby
- Rebecca Ferguson as Kaulo and Zelda
- Barry Keoghan as Erasmus “Duke” Shelby
- Tim Roth as John Beckett
- Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg
- Sophie Rundle as Ada Thorne
- Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong
- Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs
- Ian Peck as Curly
- Jay Lycurgo as Elijah
List of Tim Roth Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover‘ (1990)
- ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead‘ (1991)
- ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ (1991)
- ‘Pulp Fiction‘ (1994)
- ‘Rob Roy‘ (1995)
- ‘Four Rooms‘ (1995)
- ‘Everyone Says I Love You‘ (1996)
- ‘Gridlock’d‘ (1997)
- ‘Hoodlum‘ (1997)
- ‘The War Zone‘ (1999)
- ‘Planet of the Apes‘ (2001)
- ‘The Musketeer‘ (2001)
- ‘Youth Without Youth‘ (2007)
- ‘The Incredible Hulk‘ (2008)
- ‘Lie to Me‘ (2009-2011)
- ‘Arbitrage‘ (2012)
- ‘Selma‘ (2015)
- ‘The Hateful Eight‘ (2015)
- ‘600 Miles‘ (2016)
- ‘Chronic‘ (2016)
- ‘Hardcore Henry‘ (2016)
- ‘Mr. Right‘ (2016)
- ‘Tin Star‘ (2017-2020)
- ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)
- ‘The Misfits‘ (2021)
- ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ (2021)
- ‘Resurrection‘ (2022)
- ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘ (2022)
- ‘Punch‘ (2023)
- ‘Last King of the Cross‘ (2023-2024)
- ‘Classified‘ (2024)
- ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man‘ (2026)
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