Peaky Blinders creator reveals plan for Arthur Shelby changed while writing The Immortal Man: "Everything falls apart after that"

*Spoiler warning for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man*

One of the biggest questions fans had going into Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man was how it would handle the absence of one of the show's biggest characters: Arthur Shelby Jr. (Paul Anderson).

The eldest Shelby sibling had always been a violent and troubled figure, sometimes proving to be a thorn in the side of his younger brother Tommy (Cillian Murphy).

Peaky Blinders season 6 ended with Arthur still alive but mourning the departure of his brother Tommy.

However, in the opening of The Immortal Man, we learn that Arthur is dead and buried in Tommy's garden - initially suggested to be either through Arthur's own actions or an accident in a struggle with Tommy.

As the film goes on, we discover a much darker truth...

"I’ve been avoiding saying that for so long,” Knight said on The Immortal Man podcast, as noted by TUDUM.

"Sometimes something occurs to you that explains what you’ve been writing," he noted. "I was writing this intense guilt. And then you think, ‘Well, that’s why he’s so guilty. Because it was him.’"

In the film, Tommy later admits to his sister Ada's corpse that he was the one who was responsible for Arthur's death, and it was no accident.

“Everything that Tommy has ever stood for is family,” Knight concluded. "And here he is, he shot his own brother. Everything falls apart after that. There is nothing left because everything you’ve ever stood for, everything you’ve represented, has gone. Tommy Shelby killed his everything all at once."

Of course, actor Paul Anderson has had thoughts on what happened to Arthur.

Elsewhere, there's a lot to dig into regarding the end of the film in its entirety - so strap in.

Read More:

• 10 Peaky Blinders questions we have after THAT ending to The Immortal Man
• Peaky Blinders movie star Rebecca Ferguson reveals whether enigmatic Kaulo could return
• Peaky Blinders creator talks contemporary importance of Tommy Shelby fighting fascism: "Look what happened last time"
• Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review – Big screen spin-off keeps a firm red right hand on proceedings
• Steven Knight explains how Peaky Blinders film ended up quite different from his initial plans

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