Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Peaky Blinders season 6.
Peaky Blinders season 6 ended with multiple bangs, but this is not the end for Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) or Shelby Company Limited — here's what we know about the show's future. The BBC show's season 6 finale saw Tommy tie multiple loose ends, Michael (Finn Cole) and "black cat" Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan) included. But Tommy's tuberculoma diagnosis was revealed as a scam plotted by fascist Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) and Dr. Holford (Aneurin Barnard). While fans were expecting a tragic end for Tommy Shelby, it's now safe to say Tommy has yet to try and "change the world" if Peaky Blinders will indeed continue.
In the Peaky Blinders season 6 finale, Tommy returns as the criminal mastermind who is always one step ahead of his enemies. He welcomes his illegitimate son Duke (Conrad Khan) as a true Peaky Blinder when he gives him and Isiah (Jordan Bolger) the task to kill traitor Billy Grade and remove Finn (Harry Kirton) from the family (at last, it becomes clear why Finn has missed from the show so much: the Shelbys didn't trust him). Tommy also prevents Arthur's (Paul Anderson) assassination: the brothers' plan leads to an epic stand-off between Arthur, Charlie (Ned Dennehy), and Jeremiah (Benjamin Zephaniah) versus Laura McKee (Charlene McKenna) and her IRA band (resulting in Arthur finally getting his revenge for Polly's death). Finally, Tommy travels to Canada with Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) and prevents his own assassination, moving the bomb to a different car and fatally shooting Michael.
Everything Tommy has done over the last episodes of season 6 was guided by his imminent death. At the end of the season 6 finale, Tommy wraps up his business, hands his role to Sophie Rundle's Ada (which has been set up from Peaky Blinders' first episode), then goes off into the wilderness to die with his horses. But a moment of clarity leads Tommy to speak with his daughter's spirit: Ruby points him towards the fire, where Tommy sees Dr. Holford alongside Mosley and Mitford (Amber Anderson) at their wedding. Tommy no longer has a certain death sentence. He spares the desperate doctor (revived by his fresh chance at life) and, although he sees his caravan aflame, he leaves it and takes off on his horse, leaving a myriad of directions for Peaky Blinders to go following season 6.
Peaky Blinders Season 7 Is Not Greenlit
Peaky Blinders director Steven Knight confirmed there will not be a seventh season to follow up on Peaky Blinders' season 6. The main reason seems to be the COVID-19 pandemic, as Knight said (via Radio Times): "The original intention was to do seven series, but COVID has stolen a year from us, and we felt what would be a great idea is to, almost in place of that seventh series, is to go onto the big screen." The other reason for aborting plans for Peaky Blinders season 7 is the tragic and untimely death of Aunt Polly actress Helen McCrory, per Knight: "We just felt, also with the loss of Helen, that it all seemed to be pointing towards doing what I'm calling ‘the end of the beginning.'"
Peaky Blinders' Future Will Be A Movie
While Steven Knight confirmed there won't be a season 7, he also confirmed there will be a feature-length Peaky Blinders movie to complete the series. Knight has confirmed that the movie will be set during the World War II (via Radio Times): "I know what's going to happen in those stories and it's about a sort of untold story that happened in the Second World War, which Peakys are going to be involved in." Peaky Blinders started out at the end of World War I, and the main characters repeatedly return to their traumatizing time in the tunnels (especially through their dark line "in the bleak midwinter"). It's only fitting that the story ends with a World War as well.
How Peaky Blinders Season 6's Ending Sets Up More
In Peaky Blinders season 6, Tommy tried to complete his most dangerous deal yet, involving fascists Oswald Mosley, Diana Mitford, Boston gangster Jack Nelson (James Frecheville), President Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill. While he promised to "change the world" (curbing the rise of fascism in the UK), Tommy also faced the consequences of climbing the social ranks: he ended up sleeping with the enemy (quite literally, with Diana Mitford selling it as "the English aristocracy's way of shaking hands") and pushing Lizzie (Natasha O'Keeffe) to leave him. Tommy has reached a dark place and, although he removed several of his threats, he still has many enemies alive and posing a serious threat after season 6.
Peaky Blinders' season 6 ended with Tommy getting a fresh start, released from his imminent death diagnosis, and freed from his role as Peaky Blinders boss. But Jack Nelson is aware of his failed assassination attempts on both Shelby brothers and Gina (Anya Taylor-Joy) will also soon become aware of her husband's death at the hands of "the devil," Tommy Shelby. Finn has also promised Duke he will be coming for him, and that is another threat to Tommy Shelby. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Tommy has spent a lot of season 6 reporting his dealings with the fascists to Churchill, in an attempt to stop Mosley from rising in power in Britain. Season 6 did not bring this situation to an end — in fact, it ended with a glorious moment for Mosley (his wedding in the presence of Adolf Hitler). The Peaky Blinders movie (in which Tom Holland has been invited to star) will have to see Tommy deal with his powerful enemies one last time, amidst the disastrous World War II.
Peaky Blinders Movie Predicted Release Date
Steven Knight announced the plans for the Peaky Blinders feature-length movie in January 2021, but production is set to begin in early 2023 at best. Considering this, it seems like the earliest that fans can expect the film to air is early 2024. Knight has also confirmed Cillian Murphy and Paul Anderson to return to the movie. Sophie Rundle and Harry Kirton have also teased their appearance, and it's safe to say Conrad Khan will be an important character as well (considering his increase in responsibility during the season 6 finale, as well as his unfinished business with Finn). Peaky Blinders' series finale left a lot of open doors for Tommy Shelby and his family. It remains to be seen how the movie will wrap up the story, and if it will finally offer Tommy a way out.