Why Peaky Blinders fans think series 7 will recast Duke again and replace Barry Keoghan
Will we see Duke again?
Peaky Blinders isn’t over yet. The Immortal Man is on Netflix now, and series 7 is in the works for the BBC – and fans think it won’t include Barry Keoghan as Duke.
Duke was introduced in the sixth series of Peaky Blinders, coming after Tommy mowed down a group of Gypsies in the wake of a tragic death.
He was originally played by Conrad Khan, and the character was positioned to be a major force in the Shelby family business. However, while he returns in the Netflix film, Keoghan portrays him instead.
By the end of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, a big question remains about Duke – but he may not be series 7’s protagonist.
***Warning: spoilers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ahead***
What happens to Duke in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ends with Duke as the official head of the family business, coming after Ada and Tommy’s deaths.
Duke is responsible for tangling the family with the Nazis; specifically, a plot to flood the UK with counterfeit cash and cripple the economy. He’s also a little too ruthless and careless, failing to gain the respect of Birmingham’s residents (who come out in spades to mark Tommy’s return to the city).
However, despite the film hinting Duke could be a villain, he eventually makes the right choices. With Tommy and the others’ help, he sabotages the Nazis’ plan.
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Alas, there’s still a big price to pay. With Tommy badly wounded, he tells his son, “You’d do it for a horse.”
So, Duke kills him in an act of tender mercy. With Tommy’s death, Duke becomes the official leader of the Peaky Blinders.
So, will Barry Keoghan’s Duke return in series 7?
You may be expecting Barry Keoghan to reprise his role as Duke in the next series of Peaky Blinders. However, that may not be the case.
Firstly, we don’t know anyone who’s in the new series yet. Steven Knight and co. are keeping their cards close to their chests, but we know Cillian Murphy will be an executive producer.
We also know it’ll take place in 1953. “Once again, it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham Blitz,” Knight said.
“The new generation of Shelbys have taken the wheel, and it will be a hell of a ride.”
According to the official synopsis, “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,” it adds.
The Immortal Man takes place in 1940, so it’d be a 13-year jump for Keoghan’s character. When asked by Variety if he’ll be continuing the story, Keoghan said: “It’s a lot to follow Tommy Shelby.
“It’s a lot and I don’t even want to attempt that to try, but Duke is a different sort of [character].”
It could still work, but Duke could also be recast again if Keoghan couldn’t commit to a TV show – or it could follow another character as the family’s leader.
Peaky Blinders fans predict Duke replacement in series 7
“I think if Duke is to appear in the series at all, he’ll be replaced by another actor,” one fan theorised on Reddit, and others have agreed.
“In the film Duke was replaced by Keoghan. Now in the continuation of the series it will be another actor cast to be Duke,” another commented. “I can’t see them being able to afford Keoghan for the series,” a third argued.
The new series has already started filming. With Keoghan shooting his Beatles biopics, it certainly doesn’t look like he’s in it.
However, what if Duke isn’t in it? Well, in that case, it could focus on another Shelby – like Finn or Tommy’s son, Charles.
“Honestly I don’t think it’s based on Duke at all. I have a feeling it Charles who comes back from serving to run the family and I think the will introduce John’s kids as well which makes up the new gen of the shows,” one fan speculated.
“It will be Charlie and John’s kids… Ada’s boy will no doubt join as an accountant etc… they won’t pay to have Keoghan in as Duke,” another wrote.
“I think the series will focus a lot on John, Arthur, and Tommy’s children. I think we might even be surprised by Finn’s comeback,” a third predicted.
