Peaky Blinders creator reveals real reason Duke Shelby was recast for The Immortal Man

Duke Shelby’s actor in Peaky Blinders has been recast for the new movie, and now creator Steven Knight has actually explained the real reason why.

So, if you watched the final series, you’ll remember Duke Shelby, Tommy’s long-lost son, was played by Conrad Khan. By the end of season six, he’d properly stepped into the Peaky Blinders world and looked set to have a big future.

But in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Duke is now played by Barry Keoghan instead.

So, why was Duke Shelby recast?

via BBC

Speaking about the decision, Steven Knight explained that the story moves forward quite a bit, and that naturally changed what they needed from the character.

He told Digital Spy, “The time jump dictated who we were looking for.”

Knight also made it clear that once they saw Barry Keoghan in the role, it just clicked. He added, “But equally, it’s one of those castings that the minute the first rushes you look at, you realise it couldn’t have been anybody else.”

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Knight went on to say, “It could only have been him because every box is ticked, plus new boxes that he creates are ticked.”

The dynamic with Tommy is a big deal

via Netflix

One of the most interesting bits is how Duke now interacts with Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy. Knight highlighted just how powerful their scenes are together, even when not much is being said.

He explained, “To see Barry and Cillian either side of a bar drinking whiskey and looking at each other and not even saying anything is just magnificent.”

So their chemistry is a huge part of why this recasting works. With Tommy in self-imposed exile, Duke is now leading the Peaky Blinders, which is a massive shift from where we last saw him.

And because of that, the recast actually makes sense. It’s less about replacing the old actor and more about evolving the character for where the story’s gone.

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