Danny Boyle has delivered the news that fans of the infected world have been hoping for: the third chapter of the saga is happening, Alex Garland has already written the script, and Cillian Murphy is set to play a major part in it. Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, Boyle said he’s confident the film will get made, even if he can’t say exactly when cameras will start rolling. In his words, the project, whether it ends up called 28 YEARS 3 or something else entirely, will happen because people keep asking about it, and the script Garland has produced is a very good one.

Then came the detail that should have longtime devotees buzzing. Boyle promised there will be a lot of Murphy in the film, while joking that he doesn’t know whether the actor will be stripping down again, given that he now has an Oscar to his name.

It’s a thrilling prospect when you remember where all of this began. Murphy played Jim in Boyle’s 2002 horror classic 28 DAYS LATER, waking from a coma to find Britain devastated by the Rage Virus. Jim was our eyes and ears in that terrifying new reality, and his journey helped make the film one of the defining horror pictures of its era.

Boyle even had a funny memory of shooting that film, admitting he was caught completely off guard by Murphy’s physique. He recalled being unable to believe what he was seeing, likening the young actor to Iggy Pop, all glistening and effortless, a man who doesn’t work out and simply looks that way.

What excites me most is the chance to see Murphy properly return to the role. Jim is the beating heart of this franchise, and after everything this world has endured, I’m fascinated to see how the intervening years have shaped him. What kind of man is he now? What has he had to do to survive? How much of the person we met in 28 DAYS LATER is still in there? We caught a small taste of that in 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, but this next film has the room to explore him fully.

There’s a rich history tied to Jim, and reconnecting with him could give the ending real emotional weight, bringing the whole story full circle to the character who started it all.

OPPENHEIMER star Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness have expressed their delight after securing approval for their ambitious plans to revive Dingle’s Phoenix Cinema as a multi-disciplinary arts space. The artist and her Oscar-winning actor husband purchased the historic Kerry cinema in late 2024 and unveiled a redevelopment vision that retains the building’s cinematic function while dramatically expanding its creative footprint, adding a performance space, exhibition and rehearsal areas, artist studios, a bar, café, restaurant, and a redesigned courtyard.

The path to approval was not straightforward. Kerry County Council initially granted planning permission, but the project’s fate was pushed into the hands of An Coimisiún Pleanála earlier this year after several third-party appeals from local residents. That hurdle has now been cleared, paving the way for the cinema’s transformation.

Murphy and McGuinness share deep roots in the west Kerry Gaeltacht. The Cork-born actor’s family holidayed in the area for decades during his childhood, and he continues to spend extended periods there with his own family today. McGuinness has framed the project as an effort to reopen the venue’s doors and broaden its creative potential, restoring the Phoenix to its historic place at the heart of Dingle’s cultural life.

The cinema’s story is one of resilience. Destroyed by fire in both 1921 and 1938, it was rebuilt on each occasion by the Houlihan family, whose determination gave the venue its fitting name. For more than a century before its closure during the covid pandemic, the Phoenix served as a vital social and cultural hub for the west Kerry community, hosting drama productions, concerts, and dances, and later welcoming showbands and performers including Rory Gallagher and Dana. Murphy himself has a personal connection to the venue beyond ownership, having visited in 2010 for a screening of his film PERRIER’S BOUNTY.

Today, THE IMMORTAL MAN premieres on Netflix, and with it comes the closure that fans of Peaky Blinders have been waiting for since the series concluded its run. This is not another spinoff or expansion of the universe. This is the final word on Tommy Shelby, the definitive end to one of television’s most captivating characters. The weight of that finality hangs heavy as the film goes live across the globe.

For nearly a decade, Peaky Blinders carved out a space in our collective consciousness that few shows have managed. It was gritty, intelligent, propulsive, and utterly uncompromising. Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Tommy Shelby became the embodiment of calculated ruthlessness wrapped in vulnerability, a man whose mind was always ten steps ahead but whose soul bore the scars of every decision made along the way. When the series ended, there was an understanding that this story needed one more act. Not to glorify Tommy, not to redeem him, but to finally, definitively, let him go.

Steven Knight has returned to write and shape this conclusion, bringing the same unflinching perspective that defined the series. THE IMMORTAL MAN takes us to a Tommy Shelby who has retreated from the world, waiting for death to claim him. But death, it seems, is not ready to oblige. The chaos of World War II has reignited Birmingham’s powder keg, and a new generation of Peaky Blinders—more savage, more unmoored from any code—has risen in his absence. His own son, Duke, now leads this fractured gang, and the boy knows nothing of his father’s legacy, only his own hunger for blood and power.

What makes this moment extraordinary is what THE IMMORTAL MAN refuses to be. It’s not a triumphant return. It’s not a hero’s journey or a redemption arc. It’s an exploration of exhaustion, of a man so hollowed out by violence and loss that continued existence feels like punishment rather than privilege. Tommy Shelby has spent his life manipulating the world around him, but there is no manipulation that can save him now. The ghosts have finally caught up, and this film is the settling of accounts.

Netflix’s involvement once stirred concern. The platform’s original films have always been wildly inconsistent, swinging from genuine artistic achievements to baffling misfires. But with Knight at the helm and Cillian Murphy delivering what is sure to be one of the finest performances of his career, THE IMMORTAL MAN had the potential to transcend the typical Netflix pitfall. The question of whether it succeeds, whether it honors the series and delivers a proper farewell, is one that audiences can now answer for themselves.

This premiere represents more than just another content drop on a streaming service. It is the culmination of a story that mattered, told by people who understand why it mattered, featuring an actor who embodied its essence. Tommy Shelby’s final reckoning is here. Watch it knowing that you are witnessing the end of something truly significant. Whatever THE IMMORTAL MAN ultimately delivers, it arrives with the weight of consequence, and that alone sets it apart from the noise. The gypsy king’s last move is being made. The question is whether the board will ever be the same.

Cillian Murphy is on the promotional circuit for IMMORTAL MAN, the upcoming film where he plays an immortal figure caught between centuries. During interviews, Murphy has opened up about the creative decisions that shaped the project, drawing on experience from PEAKY BLINDERS to bring fresh depth to his role.

One standout moment came when discussing the casting of his on-screen son, Barry Keoghan. Rather than formal auditions, Murphy sent Keoghan a Father’s Day text message offering him the part—a gesture that perfectly encapsulates the genuine human connection and warmth that runs through IMMORTAL MAN, a film centered on familial bonds transcending time.

Murphy has also reflected on his BBC radio show, likening the creative process to curating a mixtape. This philosophy of treating every project as an opportunity for considered, meaningful creation underscores everything he brings to IMMORTAL MAN. As the film gears up for release, it’s clear Murphy approaches this project with the same meticulous care and artistic integrity that has defined his career. IMMORTAL MAN promises audiences an experience crafted with the thoughtfulness and artistry that makes Cillian Murphy one of the most compelling actors of our time.

After nearly four years, PEAKY BLINDERS returns with THE IMMORTAL MAN, arriving in UK cinemas March 6 before Netflix on March 20. Creator Steven Knight brings back Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, and has recommended which episodes fans should revisit before watching.

THE IMMORTAL MAN sets up a fascinating conflict as Barry Keoghan joins as Tommy’s son, Erasmus ‘Duke’ Shelby. The supporting cast includes Sophie Rundle, Stephen Graham, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tim Roth. The trailer reveals Ada telling Tommy that his son now leads the Peaky Blinders “like it’s 1919,” echoing the show’s original timeline.

Knight suggests three essential episodes to watch first. The 2013 series premiere, which originally aired on BBC, tops his list. Knight explained it “lays out what the whole series is about” and introduces Tommy Shelby in a way that’s “pretty unequivocal about who this person is,” establishing the Shelby family’s fearsome reputation.

Second is the season two finale, where Tommy assassinates Chester Campbell (Sam Neill). Knight called it one of his favourite sequences, revealing a pivotal moment: “Here is a man who is not sure if he wants to live or die… we can see that he actually chooses life.” This internal struggle resonates throughout THE IMMORTAL MAN.

Finally, the series six finale captures Tommy’s departure from Birmingham, serving as a haunting bookend to his journey. Knight’s selections form a narrative thread connecting the show’s genesis, thematic heart, and emotional climax, preparing audiences for Tommy’s reckoning with his son in THE IMMORTAL MAN.

Netflix has finally unveiled the full trailer for THE IMMORTAL MAN, the highly anticipated Peaky Blinders film that marks the continuation of Steven Knight’s acclaimed television saga. The trailer confirms that Oscar winner Cillian Murphy will reprise his iconic role as Tommy Shelby, the flat cap-wearing criminal mastermind, as he returns to Birmingham during the devastation of World War Two.

The film boasts an impressive ensemble of new and returning talent. Rebecca Ferguson, known for her work in DUNE, joins the cast alongside Tim Roth from RESERVOIR DOGS and Barry Keoghan from SALTBURN, who takes on the role of Shelby’s son—a young man desperately in need of guidance. Stephen Graham, an accomplished actor recognized for ADOLESCENCE, returns to the fold, as does Sophie Rundle, reprising her role as Tommy’s sister Ada. The supporting cast rounds out with appearances from Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, Ian Peck, and Jay Lycurgo.

According to the trailer’s revelations, Tommy faces a reckoning of devastating proportions. Ferguson’s character confronts him with harsh truths, noting that he lives in “a house haunted with ghosts of people who died because of you” while accusing him of abandoning both his kingdom and his son. Ada delivers equally cutting words, explaining that Tommy’s illegitimate firstborn son, Duke Shelby—now portrayed menacingly by Keoghan—has taken control of the Peaky Blinders and is running them “like it’s 1919, all over again.” Tommy’s response, “I can’t help him, because I’m not that man anymore,” rings hollow, convincing neither the people around him nor himself.

Set in Birmingham in 1940 amid the rubble and chaos of World War Two, THE IMMORTAL MAN shows a greying and weathered Shelby driven back from self-imposed exile to confront his most destructive reckoning yet. The stakes have never been higher—with the future of his family and the nation itself hanging in the balance, Tommy must decide whether to face his demons and confront his legacy or burn everything to the ground. The Birmingham he once commanded has transformed in his absence, and nothing remains as he left it.

Directed by Tom Harper and written once again by Knight, THE IMMORTAL MAN arrives in select cinemas on March 6, with its streaming release on Netflix following two weeks later on March 20.