Fans of Peaky Blinders have expressed their support for the new cast members taking on the role of Tommy Shelby’s son, Duke, as Barry Keoghan steps away from the character.
The upcoming sequel series set in 1950s Birmingham will introduce the character Erasmus ‘Duke’ Shelby – the illegitimate first child of Tommy Shelby. Initially portrayed by Conrad Khan in the original BBC series, the role was taken over by Barry Keoghan when the show returned as a feature-length Netflix movie, The Immortal Man, earlier this year.
Now, as production begins for the next season of Steven Knight’s show, the role of Duke has been recast. It has been confirmed that actor Jamie Bell, best known for his roles in Billy Elliot and All of Us Strangers, will take on the part. According to official statements, Bell will portray an “older, wiser, more ambitious and more dangerous” version of the character.
The star-studded cast also includes Charlie Heaton from Stranger Things, Jessica Brown Findlay from Downton Abbey, and Lashana Lynch from Day of the Jackal, alongside Lucy Karczewski making her TV debut.
Set in the aftermath of World War Two in Birmingham, 10 years after the events of The Immortal Man, the new plot revolves around rebuilding the city, described as “a brutal contest of mythical dimensions.” At the center of this “blood-soaked city” is Duke Shelby.
In an official statement, Steven Knight said: “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.
This marks the third time the role of Duke has been played by different actors, which has led to some backlash among fans. One Reddit user wrote: “Oh hell naw,” while another commented: “That’s the issue with overusing celebrity actors you know can’t stay on long. How jarring it must be to see one character recast three times with none of the actors portraying them even looking similar lol.”
Poll
Are you happy with Jamie Bell taking over the role?
Yes, he’s a great actor
No, I think it should still be Barry
Some fans agree that Jamie Bell is a great actor but feel that changing actors for a character can break immersion. One user wrote: “Jamie Bell is a great actor, but agreed, nothing breaks immersion like actor changes for characters. Barry should’ve been Duke if it had to go on.” However, others are willing to give it a chance. One fan said: “I actually think Jamie Bell is a fantastic actor. I’ll give it a chance.” Another added: “Agreed I loved him in [the movie] Turn.”
Bougeesurfer went as far as to say: “I wasn’t going to give this a chance. But Jaime Bell looks great, and he has that ‘tough’ look like Tommy did.” Another fan said: “He’s a good choice, I’ll watch it.”
Despite mixed reactions to the film, there is still strong interest in new Peaky Blinders stories. Even though Cillian Murphy will only be an executive producer in the next version, the movie itself reached number one with 25,300,000 views in its first week.
When asked about the decision to move forward without Tommy Shelby, the showrunner, Steven Knight, said: “When you get into the Peaky spirit, lots of stuff comes. But I think in the end, when the cast started coming together, and when we knew we’d got Tom – every series since series one the first question was, can we get Tom back? And he was always busy – that’s when you start to think more we can be quite expansive.”
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