After a long and eager wait, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has finally landed on Netflix, reigniting the fervor of fans worldwide and sparking heated debate over the film’s bold narrative choices, character omissions, and its impact on the beloved franchise. Released on March 20, 2026, the film marks a dramatic new chapter for the Shelby family, with Cillian Murphy returning as Tommy Shelby and Barry Keoghan joining as his son, Duke. Yet, as the dust settles, viewers are left grappling with both the film’s triumphs and its controversies.
Set against the harrowing backdrop of wartime Britain during the Blitz, The Immortal Man wastes no time plunging viewers into a world of danger, intrigue, and high stakes. The plot centers on a fascist-backed counterfeit currency scheme led by a villain named Beckett, whose actions threaten to destabilize the British economy and weaken the nation’s resistance to Germany. Tommy Shelby, initially in exile, is drawn back to Birmingham to rescue Duke, who finds himself entangled in the conspiracy. The action builds to a violent showdown in a Liverpool warehouse—a scene crackling with the show’s trademark tension and grit.
But it’s not just the pulse-pounding plot that has fans talking. The absence of several key characters, most notably Arthur Shelby Jr., Finn Shelby, Lizzie Shelby, and Alfie Solomons, has fueled speculation and, at times, frustration among devoted viewers. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter and LADbible, creator Steven Knight was quick to address these omissions, emphasizing the necessity of narrative focus in a feature-length film. “If you bring a character like Lizzie back, you’ve got to spend time with them. You can’t just gloss over,” Knight explained, underscoring his decision to center the film on Tommy and Duke as the “twin engines” of the story.
For fans wondering about Finn Shelby’s fate, Knight provided a clear answer: Finn is alive and residing in Liverpool, his absence explained by the film’s Birmingham setting. The role’s original actor, Harry Kirton, had previously expressed a desire not to return, telling Metro he didn’t want to be “pigeonholed” and was pursuing other opportunities. As for Lizzie, Tommy’s ex-wife and the mother of his late daughter Ruby, Knight acknowledged the disappointment of fans but maintained that the film’s runtime simply couldn’t accommodate every character’s arc. Social media users voiced their frustration, with some wishing for at least a passing mention of Lizzie’s whereabouts.
Perhaps the most shocking absence, however, is Arthur Shelby Jr. Played by Paul Anderson throughout all six seasons of the original series, Arthur’s fate is revealed early in the film. Tommy visits his older brother’s grave, and it’s disclosed that Arthur died in 1938. Initially, the story circulating in town is that Arthur took his own life on a bridge—a rumor even echoed by the medium Kaulo, portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson. Yet the truth is far darker and more personal. In a haunting confession, Tommy admits to killing Arthur during a drunken, rage-fueled altercation. “I killed our brother Arthur. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t an act of mercy. I killed him because I was full of booze and rage,” Tommy tells the corpse of his sister, Ada. Flashbacks reveal Tommy deliberately strangling Arthur, driven by a desperate need to free himself from his brother’s shadow.
Paul Anderson, reflecting on Arthur’s demise, expressed a sense of acceptance and even admiration for the storyline. Speaking to LADbible, Anderson remarked, “Well, what can you do, eh? It is how it is. I thought I’d just leave them to it. I think it’s great.” Though initially hesitant about the idea of a film—preferring more seasons instead—Anderson conceded that Arthur’s death was “such a powerful thing to do. It’s something you don’t see on TV.”
If the film’s treatment of its fictional characters has stirred emotions, its depiction of historical figures has ignited outright controversy. The character Beckett, portrayed as a scheming Nazi villain orchestrating the counterfeit plot, drew sharp criticism from Francis Beckett, biographer and son of the real John Beckett. Writing publicly, Francis Beckett condemned the portrayal: “The film Beckett is a villain out of central casting who enjoys killing people. The real John Beckett did not bear the smallest resemblance to the Peaky Blinders character.” He further noted that the real Beckett was imprisoned by November 1940, making the film’s narrative liberties all the more glaring. Beckett warned that such dramatizations contribute to “convenient populist myths” about the Second World War, muddying the historical record and complicating public understanding.
Steven Knight, meanwhile, defended his creative choices, framing the film’s conclusion as a meditation on succession and legacy. “It’s about succession and legacy,” Knight told Entertainment Weekly, explaining that Duke’s role in Tommy’s final moments was built into the franchise’s tradition of passing power. The film’s climax is nothing if not dramatic: Tommy, mortally wounded after killing Beckett, dies in Duke’s arms, asking his son to finish him with a family bullet. The film closes on a powerful Gypsy funeral scene, with Tommy’s body burned in a carriage, marking the definitive end of his arc and signaling a major turning point for the franchise.
Not everyone is mourning, though. The film has been met with widespread acclaim, currently boasting a 91 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of March 25, 2026. Fans and critics alike have praised its bold storytelling, atmospheric visuals, and the performances of its returning cast, especially Murphy and Keoghan. Yet, the conversation is far from over. The absence of beloved characters, the creative liberties with history, and the film’s uncompromising finale have left the fanbase divided—and eager to see what comes next.
On that front, Knight has offered a tantalizing glimpse into the future. Two sequel series are already in development, both set in Birmingham in 1953 and each comprising six hour-long episodes. These will stream on BBC iPlayer, BBC One, and Netflix worldwide, ensuring that the world of Peaky Blinders remains very much alive, even as Tommy Shelby’s story comes to a close. Whether Barry Keoghan will reprise his role as Duke remains to be seen, but the focus will shift to the “next generation” of the Shelby family, promising fresh faces and new conflicts.
As the franchise recalibrates after this polarizing entry, one thing is certain: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has succeeded in sparking conversation, challenging expectations, and setting the stage for a bold new era in the Shelby saga.