As promotional material for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man floods social media ahead of its March premiere, one behind-the-scenes confession has unexpectedly stolen the spotlight. New cast member Rebecca Ferguson has revealed that her excitement about joining the Peaky Blinders universe quickly spiraled into panic—triggered by two words guaranteed to strike fear into any actor’s heart: Brummie accent.
In a recent interview, the Dune star admitted that shortly after landing the role, she made what she now calls a “panic call” to none other than Cillian Murphy, the face, producer, and emotional anchor of the franchise. Her message was refreshingly blunt. “I can’t do a f***ing Brummie accent, mate,” she told him. “So what are we going to do about this?”
For longtime fans of Peaky Blinders, the Birmingham dialect is practically a character in its own right—sharp, musical, and notoriously difficult to master. Ferguson, despite her reputation as an accent chameleon, immediately knew this particular vocal tightrope wasn’t one she could walk without tumbling straight into parody. “There was absolutely no chance,” she joked. “I would ruin the film. I even asked if she could just be Swedish.”
Rather than forcing an inauthentic performance, the production opted for a smarter, character-driven solution. Ferguson’s role—Kaulo, a mysterious medium and acquaintance of Tommy Shelby—was reimagined with a Romani accent instead. The result, according to early descriptions, is something far more unsettling and memorable: a “guttural, burdened” voice that sets Kaulo apart from everyone else on screen. Paired with heavy leather costuming and a long brunette mane, Ferguson is said to be nearly unrecognizable, leaning fully into the eerie, mythic edges of the Peaky Blinders world.
The anecdote also highlights the collaborative spirit behind the film’s final chapter. Murphy reportedly helped calm Ferguson’s nerves, reinforcing the sense that The Immortal Man is as much a labor of trust as it is a farewell. Set in 1940 against the backdrop of World War II, the film is positioned as the definitive conclusion to Tommy Shelby’s story.
The cast lineup underscores the scale of the sendoff, with Barry Keoghan and Tim Roth joining returning favorites like Sophie Rundle and Stephen Graham. Creator Steven Knight has confirmed that the world premiere will take place in Birmingham itself—a symbolic homecoming for the Shelbys.
While The Immortal Man marks Murphy’s likely final on-screen appearance as Tommy Shelby, the Peaky Blinders universe is far from finished. Spin-offs set in 1950s Birmingham and mid-century Boston are already in development at Netflix and BBC, with Murphy remaining involved as an executive producer.
For now, fans are counting down to March 6, eager to see how Ferguson’s infamous panic call ultimately paid off—and whether Kaulo’s chilling presence becomes one of the most distinctive performances in Peaky Blinders history.