Cillian Murphy

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is Netflix’s number one film and writer Steven Knight has revealed a fan-favourite character nearly made a surprise comeback

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has revealed he scrapped a massive twist that would have brought back Tom Hardy’s iconic character Alfie Solomons.

The Venom star portrayed the Jewish cockney crime lord of Camden from the hit drama’s second season on and had a complex relationship with the Birmingham gangsters.

After being shot in the head by Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) on Margate beach, Alfie makes brief appearances in the fifth and sixth seasons of the hit BBC series.

Some fans may have been disappointed that Hardy didn’t make an appearance in Netflix’s new film The Immortal Man, which sees Tommy returning to Small Heath to take on his estranged son, Erasmus ‘Duke’ Shelby (Barry Keoghan), who has taken over the gang.

However, Knight has since revealed he originally considered the possibility of Alfie making an appearance – and it would have been a massive twist on the fate of the character.

“I had an idea, which I haven’t really spoken about,” he shared with the Hollywood Reporter.

“Ever since he was shot on the beach at Margate [in season four], you’ve only ever seen Tommy and Alfie together alone.”

The fifth season reveals that Alfie had actually survived the gunshot wound to the face after Hardy lobbied Knight to bring him back.

But, as Tommy regularly glimpses the ghosts of his past, including the lingering image of his first wife Grace (Annabelle Wallis), Knight briefly considered revealing that Solomons was simply another apparition Tommy had been communing with.

“I thought, maybe [Alfie] appears, and we realise he’s been dead all that time,” Knight went on.

“Now, I nearly did that, and I didn’t do it, but that was a thought.”

Hardy’s demanding schedule may have also contributed to Knight’s decision not to bring him back, as the star has recently been filming the Paramount+ crime drama MobLand since the end of Peaky Blinders.

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Thankfully, there is still a chance, albeit a slim one, that fans could see Alfie return alongside some other Peaky favourites as the series will be returning for at least two more series on Netflix and the BBC.

Knight confirmed that Duke will be appearing in the upcoming follow-up, which is set in post-WWII Birmingham, though it’s currently unknown if Keoghan will be reprising the role.

He also teased: “Some of the characters that are in [The Immortal Man] will appear in that. But I’m under strict instructions not to talk about it except to say that it’s happening.”

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is available to stream on Netflix.

Peaky Blinders fans want to know if there will be another series of the show

Peaky Blinders is once again enthralling viewers after the cinematic release of The Immortal Man hit theatres last week, ahead of its Netflix premiere later this month.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man – which includes a significant recasting – represents the first film for the drama, previously a highly successful BBC TV series that even inspired a ballet production, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Many enthusiasts are now pondering the future of the franchise and what lies ahead. Here’s everything you need to know.

Is there a new season of Peaky Blinders?

No, there isn’t another season of the original Peaky Blinders series, however, the BBC has confirmed there will be a brand-new TV show which continues the narrative.

Technically, this isn’t the seventh season, but it does progress the Peaky Blinders story with fresh characters separate from the original programme.

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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things and The Last of Us.

In an announcement in October 2025, the BBC revealed that the upcoming drama had already been commissioned for two seasons straight away.

The forthcoming show will narrate the tale of a new generation of Shelbys with Peaky Blinders’ creator and writer Steven Knight at the helm, whilst leading star Cillian Murphy serves as an executive producer.

Knight expressed in a statement: “I’m thrilled to be announcing this new chapter in the Peaky Blinders story.

“Once again it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham blitz.

“The new generation of Shelbys have taken the wheel and it will be a hell of a ride.”

Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker said: “Peaky Blinders is a worldwide phenomenon that’s boosted our tourism and global reach.

“We’re proud to be working with the team bringing the production back to the Shelbys’ home of Birmingham and job opportunities will follow for local people to become part of this story.

“It’s this sort of backing from some of the biggest names in entertainment that will turn the West Midlands into the creative capital of the UK.”

The forthcoming Peaky Blinders series will feature six episodes per season, meaning fans can expect 12 fresh instalments.

The BBC’s synopsis of the show states: “Britain, 1953. After being heavily bombed in WWII, Birmingham is building a better future out of concrete and steel.

“In a new era of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, the race to own Birmingham’s massive reconstruction project becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions.

“This is a city of unprecedented opportunity and danger: with the Shelby family right at its blood-soaked heart.”

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is screening in select cinemas and will be released on Netflix on March 20

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