Stephen Graham is getting Peaky with it again

The Peaky Blinders movie has officially begun production in Birmingham, England, with recent Oscar winner Cillian Murphy back in the baker boy cap as gang leader Tommy Shelby. Murphy is being joined by some exciting new stars, including Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tim Roth. But the Peaky movie will of course feature some old faces returning as well, including Stephen Graham, who told Deadline that he’s “looking forward to seeing the lads again” on the Netflix film. 

Deadline notes that Graham didn’t confirm what he’s doing in Peaky Blinders, but it’s safe to assume that he’ll be reprising the role of Hayden Stagg. Stagg, a dock worker and union convenor, was introduced in the final season of the show. Stagg ended up going toe to toe with the Shelbys as a result of stealing opium from the Peaky Blinders. After giving an unexpectedly empathetic speech to Arthur (Paul Anderson) about his addiction, Tommy spares Stagg’s life and forms a somewhat easy alliance with him. Though Stagg is largely unintimidated by the Shelbys, in Graham’s last appearance on the show Tommy gives him a bullet with his name on it to keep him in line. 

Graham is known for the This Is England series and playing Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, but he also has a working relationship with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The pair previously worked together on the Tom Hardy series Taboo. Their next project is A Thousand Blows on Hulu, in which Graham plays Sugar Goodson, a “seasoned and dangerous boxer” who forms an intense rivalry with newcomer Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby). That series is expected to air in 2025. Elsewhere, he’ll be seen in another Tom Hardy project, Venom: The Last Dance, and will play Bruce Springsteen’s father opposite Jeremy Allen White in Deliver Me To Nowhere.