Worldwide, the Peaky Blinders follow-up has scored a spot in the streamer’s top ten in numerous countries. As of writing, the Tom Harper-directed film is sitting at number two in the United States. The original BBC series ran from 2013 to 2022 and featured a star-studded cast including the likes of Tom Hardy and Anya Taylor-Joy. The Immortal Man brings back creator Steven Knight to pen the script.
Set in 1940, the film follows Tommy living out a self-imposed exile after the death of his brother. Meanwhile, his son Duke (Barry Keoghan) has taken over as leader of the Peaky Blinders. Other cast members include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth, with Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, and Stephen Graham returning from the original series alongside Murphy.
Though following up a successful television show is a difficult task, Knight seems to have passed that test with flying colors. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, The Immortal Man boasts a 92% critic score and an 89% audience score. This is only slightly below Peaky Blinders’ 93% score. The movie’s theatrical window, though limited to a one-weekend run in the United Kingdom, is speculated to be successful, with Deadline reporting it placed second on the weekend of release.
Following The Immortal Man’s climactic ending, the franchise appears to be moving in a new direction centered on TOmmy’s descendants and set in the 1950s. Prior to the film’s release, Knight had referred to it as a “fitting end to the first chapter.” He then concluded: “As long as there’s an appetite for it, and I’ve got stories to tell, then why not?” This sets up the upcoming series within the Peaky Blinders universe, which will see Keoghan as Duke taking the reins from Murphy as Tommy.
Both Peaky Blinders and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man are now available to stream on Netflix.