This article contains spoilers for ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’
The creator of Peaky Blinders has explained why Paul Anderson did not appear in the recent film adaptation, The Immortal Man.
The movie, a continuation of the hit series, sees Cillian Murphy return as Tommy Shelby, coming out of seclusion after it emerges that his son (Barry Keoghan) is being led down a dangerous path. The movie is now available on Netflix following a brief cinema release.
Paul Anderson was a regular throughout the series, playing Arthur, the volatile brother of Tommy Shelby. In the film, he is revealed to have died in 1938, having been killed by Tommy who had grown frustrated with his unpredictable behaviour. It becomes a central point of grief in Tommy’s storyline, as the life he has led weighs on him.
Anderson was surprisingly not included in The Immortal Man, with a double used in the flashback. The actor’s legal issues, which include pleading guilty to four counts of drug possession in 2024, had been rumoured to be behind the exclusion, but Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight said the decision was purely narrative.
“What I’ll say is that the story determines the cast, and the story was set. I knew that Tommy needed to have done something that he couldn’t forgive himself for,” Knight told The Hollywood Reporter. “Therefore, that’s why the plot went in that particular direction. But in terms of Paul, all I’ll say is that he’s a fantastic actor.”
Peaky Blinders ran for six seasons between 2013 and 2022. Recently, it was revealed that a continuation is in the works, which would focus on a new generation of the Shelby family.
Elsewhere, Cillian Murphy unveiled his ultimate Peaky Blinders playlist, including tracks from Black Sabbath, David Bowie, and Leonard Cohen.
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