Cillian Murphy: ‘A Peaky Blinders movie is a sexy idea!’

Cillian-Murphy
Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders (Image credit: BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions)

The thrilling third series of Peaky Blinders has left fans hungry for more. Thankfully the BBC have re-commissioned a fourth and fifth series of the Birmingham-based, gangster drama. But could a movie be on the menu too?

Cillian Murphy has caused a few waves about a possible film version of the 1920s show! When asked about his interest in a movie version by Deadline.com, Irish actor, Cillian, initially seemed to be in two minds before warming to the idea:

“I’m sort of ambivalent about it… I love the idea sort of theoretically, but it has to come at the right time, you know? You can’t alienate the beautiful democratic thing of television where everyone just watches it.

“Cinema is trickier because you… have to compress the story into probably just an event rather than the whole arc that we’ve normally been doing.

“It’s kind of a sexy idea, but I’ll reserve judgement until the idea is presented to me.”

When news initially broke about the BBC’s decision to order two new series of Peaky Blinders Cillian, who turned 40 in May, said: “Tommy Shelby is one of the most intense, challenging characters I’ve had the opportunity to play. I’m particularly grateful that Steven’s original, dynamic writing and the long form series allow me to explore Tommy in depth. I very much look forward to Tommy’s evolution over the next two chapters.”

Creator Steven Knight, who has written all episodes of the series, added: "I am genuinely thrilled at the response to the third series of the show. The prospect of writing series four and five is truly exciting. This is a real passion project for me, and I look forward to telling more stories of the Shelby family."

In the meantime Cork-born Cillian is starring in historical thriller Anthropoid with fellow Irishman, Jamie Dornan. The World War Two film is inspired by the real assassination attempt on  top-ranking Nazi, Reinhard Heydrich, known as 'The Butcher of Prague'. Anthropoid is directed by Sean Ellis and expected to be released later this year. Watch the trailer here

Elaine Reilly
Writer for TV Times, What’s On TV, TV & Satellite Week and What To Watch

With twenty years of experience as an entertainment journalist, Elaine writes for What’s on TV, TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and www.whattowatch.com covering a variety of programs from gardening and wildlife to documentaries and drama.

 

As well as active involvement in the WTW family’s social media accounts, she has been known to get chatty on the red carpet and wander into the odd podcast. 


After a day of previewing TV, writing about TV and interviewing TV stars, Elaine likes nothing than to relax… by watching TV.