A Major Peaky Blinders Star Won't Appear In Netflix's Movie

Fans everywhere rejoiced when "Peaky Blinders" received a second lease on life, with Netflix bringing the acclaimed series to the big screen (so to speak) with an upcoming movie and a recent tease of even more adventures to come — but not everyone will be tagging along for the ride. The body count for the BBC/Netflix series might even rival the likes of "Game of Thrones," with various characters dropping like flies over the years. Though fan-favorite rogues like Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen), Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody), and Polly Gray (the late, great Helen McCrory) never quite made it to the finish line (despite no small amount of begging in Brody's case), one surviving and deceptively significant member of the ensemble apparently won't make the cut for the upcoming film.

In an interview, Kate Phillips (known for appearing in the "Downton Abbey" movie and most recently starring in the "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" series) confirmed that she will not be reprising her role as Linda Shelby for the "Peaky Blinders" spinoff film. As the long-suffering wife of the volatile Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson), Linda spent much of the series attempting to curtail her husband's more violent tendencies as part of the Shelby gang. Of course, her surprisingly significant influence on Arthur put her squarely at odds with Tommy (Cillian Murphy) and the rest of the crew. When her relationship with Arthur deteriorates throughout Season 5 and culminates in her attempted killing of her estranged husband, Linda leaves the family for good and was last seen at the end of Season 6.

That may also be the final time we see Linda Shelby, according to the actor, as she will not be brought back for the "Peaky Blinders" movie ... although it wasn't for a lack of trying, apparently.

When the various criminal members of Shelby Company Limited reunite for the "Peaky Blinders" film, one of the handful of notable no-shows will be Kate Phillips' Linda Shelby ... and now we know exactly why. In an interview with RadioTimes.com, the actor explained that a return was actually in the cards at one point, but will no longer be the case. While promoting the next season of "Miss Scarlet and the Duke," the conversation inevitably turned towards "Peaky Blinders. When asked whether she'll reprise her role, Phillips responded bluntly, "I'm not. There were discussions and then it didn't pan out."

While the plot of the film (which was written by series creator Steven Knight) remains under wraps, it's interesting to find out that at least one prior version of the script would've found room to include Linda in some capacity. As those who watched the series know, the movie will likely have to address the lingering threat of Sam Claflin's fascist leader Oswald Mosley, the continued rise of Tommy in the political arena, and the overall fate of the Shelby clan as the time period transitions from the end of WWI to the beginning of WWII. That sounds like an awful lot to pack into a single feature film, so, as much as bringing Linda back into the fold would've been an interesting subplot for Arthur's (possible) redemption arc, perhaps this will turn out to be for the best. 

Still, Phillips has nothing but good things to say about her experience on the series and, intriguingly, has high hopes for the movie:

"It was such an amazing show to be part of and Steven Knight still continues to have ideas for the life and the future of 'Peaky Blinders,' and that's always lovely to kind of engage with his hopes and dreams for the show [...] But I'm excited to see the film. I have read it, but I'm excited to see how it turns out on the big screen, I'm sure it will be amazing."

While much of the cast remains unconfirmed, we do know that newcomers Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tim Roth will join series veterans Cillian Murphy, Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, and Ian Peck. The currently untitled "Peaky Blinders" movie does not yet have an official release date.