Jamie Bell has been seen as Duke Shelby for the first time (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
We have our first look at Jamie Bell in action following his controversial Peaky Blinders casting.
The 40-year-old actor rose to fame with his Billy Elliot debut in 2000, which made him the youngest-ever recipient of the best actor Bafta.
But now there isn’t a single dancing shoe in sight as he enters the world of crime and gangs for the upcoming drama series.
Set 10 years after the events of Netflix film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the upcoming Birmingham-based sequel will see Jamie take on the part of Duke ‘Erasmus’ Shelby, the eldest son of ruthless gangster Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby.
He replaces Saltburn lead Barry Keoghan, with creator Steven Knight previously declaring he was ‘thrilled’ to announce a ‘new era of Peaky Blinders’, also describing the crew as ‘incredibly fortunate’ to have Jamie on board.
And while some loyal viewers are sceptical about someone else playing Duke again, it appears to all be water off a duck’s back for Jamie, who stepped into the role with ease on set.
Upon removing his fedora, the actor debuted his new hairstyle (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
Jamie looked slick in a three-piece suit (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
New photos show the All of Us Strangers star donning appropriate 50s attire, strutting around in a suave grey three-piece suit with a navy coat.
For accessories, he wore leather gloves and a fedora – under which he rocked a bold new hairstyle.
Upon removing his headwear, Jamie’s transformation was revealed, as he sported a sharp period style just like his predecessor.
Exact plot details are yet to be unveiled, but we know that, in the aftermath of World War II, the story hinges on rebuilding the ‘blood-soaked’ city – with Duke at the heart of it, now older, wiser, more ambitious… and more dangerous.
With the set dressed to replicate the year, Jamie’s character was seen arriving in a Jaguar outside a building branded ‘Shelby Construction’ this weekend, with an explosion following.
Extras were snapped in vintage clothing, with policemen also on location (in and around Digbeth Loc. Studios), suggesting there will be trouble ahead.
He joined fellow cast members for shooting this weekend (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
Extras were also seen in appropriate 50s-style attire (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
Jamie made a dramatic entrance to a construction site (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
The sequel is set in a ‘blood-soaked’ city following WWII (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
Additional cast members joining Jamie for the series are Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton, Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay, and Day of the Jackal’s Lashana Lynch, while Lucy Karczewski makes her TV debut. The identities of their characters will be revealed later down the line.
And there are others to come, too, as Steven has promised ‘more exciting cast announcements’.
The sequel certainly came as a surprise, given that the sixth series was thought to be the last, while the film would wrap up the story.
However, an insider told The Sun that the boss, who is currently penning the screenplay for the 26th James Bond film, couldn’t resist coming back’.
‘He has been hinting for a while that he wanted to do more.’
The newcomers will have to put in a shift to win over the already fiercely loyal audience, though, especially Jamie, since some have claimed the recasting will ‘break immersion’. He is the third Duke, as Conrad Khan portrayed him in the original series before Barry took over for The Immortal Man.
An entrance featured the ‘Shelby Construction’ branding (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
Jamie has his work cut out to impress loyal viewers who are uncertain about his recasting (Picture: Trigger Central/Click News and Media)
After a one-off stint as Duke in the Peaky Blinders movie, Barry Keoghan isn’t returning (Picture: Netflix)
But others are keen to ‘give [Jamie] a chance’, reserving verdicts until the final product hits screens.
It’s unknown when that will be, but it’s unlikely to be any risk of the hype dwindling in the meantime, given how globally successful the Peaky franchise has become since launching on BBC in 2013.
The new show has been commissioned for two series, each with six 60-minute-long episodes, and it will be available to watch on BBC One, iPlayer, and Netflix.
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