Netflix has tapped Jamie Bell to star as Duke Shelby in its upcoming Peaky Blinders sequel series, recasting the role from Barry Keoghan. The two-season order, set in 1950s Birmingham, also features Charlie Heaton, Jessica Brown Findlay, Lashana Lynch, and Lucy Karczewski. Production is already underway on the six-episode seasons.
Netflix announced that Jamie Bell, known for Shining Girls, will lead the cast as Duke Shelby in the new Peaky Blinders series. This recasts the character previously played by Barry Keoghan in the recent movie Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The series, created by Steven Knight, picks up a decade after the film's events, a decade after World War II in Birmingham. Officials describe it as a brutal contest amid rebuilding efforts, with Duke Shelby portrayed as older, wiser, more ambitious, and more dangerous at the crime family's heart. Duke Shelby first appeared in season 6 of the original Peaky Blinders, played by Conrad Khan. Barry Keoghan took over for The Immortal Man, where Duke assumed Tommy Shelby's position as head of the Birmingham crime mob. In the film, which premiered on Netflix last month after theaters, Duke and Tommy thwarted a Nazi counterfeit money plot, leading to Tommy's death. The original series aired from 2013 to 2022 across six seasons. Additional cast members include Charlie Heaton from Stranger Things, Jessica Brown Findlay from Downton Abbey, Lashana Lynch from The Day of the Jackal, and newcomer Lucy Karczewski. No details on their roles have been released. Steven Knight stated: '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.'
