Peaky Blinders creator reveals why a Tom Hardy return was considered – and why it didn’t happen

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The highly anticipated Peaky Blinders movie, titled ‘The Immortal Man’, recently arrived on Netflix. Cillian Murphy returns as the iconic gang boss Tommy Shelby, joined by stars like Barry Keoghan, Tim Roth, and Stephen Graham. It continues the story from the popular six-season TV series.

The movie continues Tommy’s story, placing him in the middle of World War II. He becomes entangled in efforts to thwart Operation Bernhard, a genuine Nazi plan.

Even though many familiar characters returned, some fans were upset that Tom Hardy didn’t reprise his popular role as Alfie Solomons in the episode ‘The Immortal Man’.

Steven Knight, the creator and writer of the entire series and its film, has shared that he once had more story ideas for the character Alfie, but those plans ultimately didn’t come to fruition.

The Hollywood Reporter says Knight came up with an idea to bring Hardy’s character back after he was seemingly killed – shot in the face – at the end of the show’s fourth season.

You know, Knight shared something really interesting with me. He’s always had this thought, and he’s never talked about it before, but it hit me as brilliant. Ever since Tommy Shelby was shot on that beach in Margate, we’ve only ever seen him and Alfie Solomons together, and always one-on-one. It’s like they have this separate, private world, and Knight intentionally kept it that way.

I had an idea – what if the character suddenly showed up, and it turned out he’d been dead the whole time? I almost included that in the story, but ultimately decided against it, though it did cross my mind.

Regarding Paul Anderson’s character, Arthur Shelby, not returning, creator Steven Knight explained that the story dictates who appears in the show, and the current storyline simply didn’t have a place for Arthur. He made it clear that neither Arthur, nor Alfie, would have logically fit into the narrative focused on ‘The Immortal Man’.

In the final seasons of the TV show, a popular fan theory suggested Alfie wasn’t real, but a creation of Tommy’s mind. It’s fascinating to learn that the show’s creator, Knight, seriously considered making that theory true.

It’s easy to see why fans were disappointed Alfie wasn’t included. Tom Hardy had mentioned in a 2024 interview with Sky News that he’d wanted to reprise the role of Alfie Solomons, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out this time.

Although Tommy Shelby’s story has concluded, the world of Peaky Blinders will continue with a new series focusing on the Shelby family. If you’re still wondering what happened or where the story might go next, we’ve created a guide to explore potential future directions for the franchise.

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Authors

Alex Hewitt

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2026-03-24 19:37