Peaky Blinders’ creator explains Tom Hardy’s absence, and reveals wild story that was cut

Peaky Blinders fans finally got their long-awaited return to Tommy Shelby’s world with The Immortal Man, the follow-up film to the show’s 2022 finale. The movie brings back a mix of familiar faces while adding newcomers like Barry Keoghan and Tim Roth. But one major character is noticeably missing: Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons.

Alfie’s absence raised eyebrows, especially after the character’s surprise survival arc. Initially believed to have died in season four, he later reappeared and remained part of the story through the final season.

Now, creator Steven Knight has revealed he seriously considered bringing Alfie back in a very different way, one that would’ve completely reframed his storyline.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Knight explained he toyed with a dark twist: “I didn’t do it in the end, but I had an idea, which I haven’t really spoken about.

“Ever since he was shot on the beach at Margate [in season four], you’ve only ever seen Tommy and Alfie together alone. There’s never been anyone else.

“I thought, ‘Maybe he appears, and we realise he’s been dead all that time’. Now, I nearly did that, and I didn’t do it, but that was a thought.”

In other words, Alfie could have been revealed as a ghost, with Tommy unknowingly talking to him for years.

The film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man also delivers a major shock involving Arthur Shelby: Spoilers ahead.

Arthur is revealed to have been killed off-screen by his own brother, a decision that has divided fans. Knight has previously defended the twist, arguing it was key to understanding Tommy’s mindset.

“I was writing this intense guilt. And then you think, ‘Well, that’s why he’s so guilty. Because it was him’,” he said.

He added that the move ties directly into Tommy’s core values:
“Everything that Tommy has ever stood for is family. 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.”

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Featured image credit: Netflix