Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has said that characters introduced in season six help set up the forthcoming film based on the series.
While characters Tommy (Cillian Murphy) and Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson) have been confirmed for the upcoming film, the rest of the cast has yet to be confirmed.
Now, in an interview with Esquire, Knight said the new characters in season six, which is currently airing on BBC One and is set to hit Netflix in June, will shape the direction of the film.
He said: “In series six we’re bringing in the new generation, and they are going to be part of what happens in [the] film. I think it’s finding those actors that you just watch and you think, there you go. There’s the future.
“The film, I know exactly what it’s about. And I know what two stories it’s going to tell. How the story will unfold, I don’t know. What will happen after that, I want that to depend on the film.”
He then added cryptically: “For all we know somebody is going to pop out – I think I know who it’s going to be.”
Previously, series six director Anthony Byrne told Digital Spy that Knight wanted to do a spin-off series with the younger cast members.
He said: “Steve wants to do a spin-off show featuring younger Peakies who we might see potentially coming to London and causing havoc and maybe getting involved with other gangs.”
Meanwhile, Bryne has recently responded to some criticism of the latest season.
While the season has been largely praised by critics and fans alike, some have criticised the pacing of the show and its lack of action when compared to previous seasons.
Warning: major spoilers for season six ahead
Byrne told Radio Times that he has “no problem” with criticism but added: “you can’t continue to give people what they’re expecting.”
He continued: “You’re taking a show like Peaky that is culturally relevant, it’s a TV phenomenon, and there’s an expectation of, ‘I want Arthur kicking the shit out of people and I want Tommy being Tommy and more Peaky stuff.’
“Season four was that. Season four was a gangster season with the Italians and the Peakys. There was a lot of gangster stuff and guns and all of that. And then season five was about the rise of fascism and it was darker.
“Season six is a character piece about the darkness of Tommy Shelby’s soul and it’s how far down is he going to have to go before he can get out. And will there be any left of him? That’s what it is for me. And audiences who love the character will go with it because they’re on a journey with this guy, with Tommy Shelby.
“There’s always going to be an element of people who want just the same stuff, but we’re not in it for that because it has to evolve, and it has to change. And it has to challenge the audience’s expectations and take you on a far deeper experience than you’re expecting to go.”
NME’s four-star review of Peaky Blinders season six said: “Impressively, there’s nothing about the return of Peaky Blinders that feels forced, contrived – and that hasn’t always been the case in the five-preceding series.
“We might just be an hour into the most keenly anticipated finale of 2022, but we’re off to a start as impressive as any of Tommy’s prized mares.”
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