‘Peaky Blinders’ will enter new era with Jamie Bell as Duke Shelby in sequel series

The world of Peaky Blinders is set to expand as creator Steven Knight has announced a sequel series, set in post-war Birmingham in the 1950s and featuring the next generation of the Shelby family.

Actor Jamie Bell, known for featuring in films such as Jumper, Snowpiercer, Rocket Man and All of Us Strangers, has been cast in the lead role of Duke Shelby, son of Tommy Shelby.

Also joining the cast for the show, which has received an order for two new six-episode seasons, are Stranger Things alum Charlie Heaton as co-lead as well as actors Lashana Lynch, Jessica Brown Findlay and Lucy Karczewski.

Oscar winner Cillian Murphy headlined the original series, which started on BBC but became a worldwide phenomenon after landing on Netflix, as Tommy Shelby, a World War I veteran who rises from being a local gang leader in Birmingham to businessman and ultimately a Member of Parliament. After the show ended its six season run on BBC and Netflix in 2022, the actor recently reprised the role in “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” with Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan essaying the role of Duke Shelby.

The sequel series, which will be written by Knight, will pick up 10 years after the events that ensued in The Immortal Man.

“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 (Jamie Bell): older, wiser, more ambitious, and most certainly more dangerous,” read the official logline.

The series, which has started production in and around Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham, is produced by Banijay UK’s Kudos and Garrison Drama for the BBC and Netflix.

“I am thrilled that we are announcing a new era of ‘Peaky Blinders’, moving the story to post-war Birmingham in the early 50s. 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,” Knight said in a statement.

The sequel series 60, will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK and on Netflix globally.