Why was Conrad Khan replaced in Peaky Blinders as Duke Shelby?
The Peaky Blinders movie introduces a long-forgotten character from the original BBC series.
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Peaky Blinders introduced Duke Shelby in season 6 of the show(Image: BBC)
Peaky Blinders viewers have been left confused about the character of Duke Shelby in the new movie.
After much anticipation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has been released in select cinemas, boasting an impressive cast.
Many fans are planning to watch the film this weekend after some were left concerned about whether they needed to watch the TV series first.
The movie features a time-jump as audiences are transported to Birmingham in 1940 with the Second World War underway and gangster Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) forced out of retirement.
Many Peaky Blinders fans are keen to know why the character of Duke Shelby was recast and is now being played by Saltburn star Barry Keoghan after original star Conrad Khan was replaced. Here’s the lowdown on Duke Shelby, his parentage and the recast.
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Conrad Khan as Duke Shelby in the Peaky Blinders TV show(Image: BBC)
Who is Duke Shelby?
Duke Shelby is Tommy’s son from his fleeting liaison with a Romani woman called Zelda in 1914, shortly before he went off to fight in WWI.
Tommy only learnt about Duke from John Shelby’s (Joe Cole) wife Esme (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) at a later date.
Esme revealed how Tommy had already joined the army and gone to France when Zelda realised she was pregnant, with her father threatening to kill the gangster.
Esme brought Tommy and Duke together, revealing that his mother was dead and that the boy was now a thief but wanted more from life.
Tommy took his son on board and gave Esme gold in exchange. After his initial resistance, Duke joined the Shelbys and worked for the business.
Tommy also told Duke that he was needed for his “dark” work, while his other son Charles Shelby from his marriage to Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis) would be involved in the “light” side of Tommy’s business.
After Tommy disappeared in 1934, his son Duke took over the Peaky Blinders and made the gang just as brutal as they were in 1919.
Duke’s transformation of the family business prompted Tommy to come out of retirement and return to his former mafia ways.
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Barry Keoghan has been cast as Duke Shelby in the Peaky Blinders film(Image: NETFLIX)
Why was Conrad Khan replaced in Peaky Blinders as Duke Shelby?
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has addressed the change in actor from the BBC TV series to the film.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview, Knight said about casting Keoghan: “I never leap on board when people start saying about an actor, ‘Oh my God, he’s got this stillness.’
“You start using all these words about an actor. But with him, it’s all true.
“I wanted him to be the son from the beginning, and when we knew we got him, he took it to another level. Who he is in real life is perfect for this. He’s just so good.”
From Knight’s words, it looks like the version of Duke in The Immortal Man has changed from that of the TV show.
The recast appears to be down to both factoring in the time-jump, with the character of Duke evolving over the years.
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