Peaky Blinders movie spotted filming in Wrexham

The upcoming Peaky Blinders movie has begun filming in north Wales, with Hollywood star Cillian Murphy spotted on set.

The Oscar-winning actor returns to the role of Tommy Shelby for the upcoming Peaky Blinders film – a continuation of the hit crime drama.

There has been six series of the hit BBC TV show with the upcoming film continuing the story of Shelby and the Peaky Blinders crime gang.

Set in Birmingham during World War II, the upcoming film started shooting at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Wrexham on Sunday.

“Locals knew that filming would be taking place in the basin, but no one knew what for - the crew were keeping it well under wraps,” said local business owner, Chris Allen.

Murphy himself was spotted aboard a narrowboat in his full Tommy Shelby costume, including his instantly-recognisable cap, as the crew began filming along the aqueduct and nearby waterways on Sunday afternoon.

As well as Trevor Basin, the Unesco World Heritage Site, its visitor centre and towpath were closed to visitors.

As well as cast and ground crew, a helicopter was also used - seemingly recording aerial footage of the actors below.

“People soon twigged that it was Peaky Blinders - the steam-powered narrowboat and the actor’s clothing gave that away,” added Mr Allen.

“Locals who’d gathered to watch started spotting and recognising them. Cillian Murphy stands out! It was an exciting day."

Murphy's narrowboat was adorned with vintage signage for ‘W.G.E. Wyrley & Essington’, with another boat sporting a sign that reads: ‘Thomas Coathupe & Sons Ltd – 1893’.

The 48-year-old Irish actor will star alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Stephen Graham, and Tim Roth in the upcoming movie, which is also known as Peaky Blinder: The Immortal Man.

Fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan was recently added to the Peaky Blinders cast, though he hasn’t yet been spotted on set.

While Murphy's narrowboat was seen in Wrexham, the boats have been spotted at several locations across the UK as filming for the upcoming movie continues – including Birmingham and Dudley.

No release date for the Peaky Blinders film has been released yet.

Peaky Blinders tells the story of the rise of the fictional Peaky Blinders crime gang in Birmingham following World War I.

Led by the ambitious Tommy Shelby, the gang come up against threats from both police and rival gangs, including the Irish Mob and New York Mafia.

Peaky Blinders originally debuted as a TV series back in 2013 - and all episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.

Spanning six series’, the show starred Murphy alongside other heavy-hitters such as Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Paddy Considine, Anya Taylor-Joy, and many others.

No - there won't be a seventh season of Peaky Blinders.

The show came to an end in 2022 with the sixth and final season, but creator Steven Knight quickly confirmed that the story of Tommy Shelby would continue.

The upcoming feature-length film was created instead of a seventh season, with potential for other connected TV shows to follow.

Tom Harper is directing the Peaky Blinders film based on a script by Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, who is also producing alongside Patrick Holland, Cillian Murphy and Guy Heeley.