BBC 2 has had a period piece gangster drama in the works since the end of July that will be set in the 1920’s—like HBO’s first season of gangster drama Boardwalk Empire-- although, instead of dealing with the effects of Prohibition, the BBC series will follow a group of gangsters in Birmingham, England as they deal with crime in a period where Communist revolutionaries are at the forefront. Eastern Promises writer Steven Knight conceived the idea for the series, and after naming the contained show Peaky Blinders after the gang it will follow, the series seemed ready to get rolling. Now, the network has found its lead actor for the series.
Cillian Murphy is set to join the Peaky Blinders gang as Tommy, a brother in the family that will rule the slums in the upcoming series. According to Deadline, Tommy will be the most vicious of all the clan, acting as a leader and spokesperson in the Peaky Blinders’ ruthless world. The series will focus on an attempted police cleanup of Birmingham, as well as Tommy’s attempts to continue to grapple for control while the police work their magic.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a good mini drama without at least one interesting female character; the one set to appear in Peaky Blinders will come to town to tinker with Tommy and hold on to one interesting secret. Secrets or no, I’m more interested in seeing what the gang will be wearing during the miniseries. The Peaky Blinders fansite reported early news of the series, also noting the gang used to wear silk scarfs and bell bottomed trousers back in the day and I can’t wait to see how dapper Murphy can be when he’s not donning Scarecrow attire.
