‘Peaky Blinders’: Paul Anderson Reacted to Arthur Shelby’s Controversial Fate
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man brought Tommy Shelby fans back into the world of the Shelby family. While Cillian Murphy reprised his role as the lead and Barry Keoghan joined as his son, several key members of the family were missing. Arthur Shelby didn’t appear in the movie, though his controversial fate was revealed through the plot. Here’s what Arthur actor Paul Anderson said about Arthur’s ending.
[Spoiler alert: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man spoilers ahead.]
Arthur Shelby actor Paul Anderson addressed his character’s fate in ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’
In Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Arthur Shelby’s fate is revealed as one of the film’s most shocking off-screen twists. The story initially suggests he died in a tragic accident between the series finale and the events of the movie. However, it’s later uncovered that Arthur was actually killed by his own brother, Tommy Shelby, during a violent confrontation.
According to the film, Arthur Shelby and Thomas Shelby had a drunken, volatile clash inside a car that escalated beyond control. Tommy deliberately caused Arthur’s death, and the act haunts him throughout the film. The revelation adds a heavy emotional weight to the story, as Tommy’s guilt over killing his own brother becomes a defining force in his isolation and actions moving forward.
Arthur actor Paul Anderson didn’t appear in the movie. He admitted to LADBible that he felt “slightly apprehensive” about bringing Peaky Blinders into the film world. That said, he thought the movie was “amazing.”
“We made a good show, we ain’t made enough seasons — I think we should’ve just done a couple more seasons,” Anderson said. “I don’t see a reason to do a film, to be honest.”
As for Arthur’s ending, Anderson thought it was “great,” but “sad.”
“I think it’s great,” he said. “I mean, it’s such a powerful thing to do. It’s something you don’t see on TV. Everyone thought, well, everyone knows Arthur’s gonna die. I was quite surprised. I [Arthur] was quite nasty sometimes; I weren’t very nice to people in it. But people loved me.”
Creator Steven Knight explained how he came up with Arthur Shelby’s death
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight discussed Arthur Shelby’s death on The Immortal Man podcast. He noted that he was writing Tommy Shelby’s “intense guilt” into the film without a clear reason as to why that guilt existed.
“Sometimes something occurs to you that explains what you’ve been writing,” Knight noted. “I was writing this intense guilt. And then you think, ‘Well, that’s why he’s so guilty. Because it was him.'”
“Everything that Tommy has ever stood for is family,” Knight added. “And here he is, he shot his own brother. Everything falls apart after that. There is nothing left because everything you’ve ever stood for, everything you’ve represented, has gone. Tommy Shelby killed his everything all at once.”
Is the ‘Peaky Blinders’ series over?
Tommy Shelby’s story ends after Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. So, will the series continue on without the protagonist? According to creator Steven Knight, he has a spinoff in the works at his Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham
“I can’t really talk about it in detail,” Knight told The Hollywood Reporter regarding the spinoff. “I can tell you that it takes place after the war, that it is sort of a new generation, and that it’s really good.”
While speaking to Variety, Knight verified that the spinoff will focus on Duke, Tommy’s son. However, he couldn’t comment on whether Barry Keoghan would reprise the role.
