The Peaky Blinders movie may have featured a star-studded cast, but it almost included a brief appearance from Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons. In a recent interview, Steven Knight, creator of the fan-favorite crime drama, revealed that he had originally envisioned including the Marvel star in The Immortal Man, which would’ve retconned a major Peaky Blinders storyline.

Steven Knight ‘nearly’ brought back Tom Hardy for Peaky Blinders movie

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed filmmaker noted that he initially wanted Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons to return in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man as a figment of Tommmy Shelby’s (Cillian Murphy) imagination.

Talking about his plans for Tom Hardy in the Peaky Blinders movie, Knight stated, “I didn’t do it in the end, but I had an idea, which I haven’t really spoken about. Ever since he was shot on the beach at Margate [in season four], you’ve only ever seen Tommy and Alfie together alone. There’s never been anyone else. I thought, maybe he appears, and we realize he’s been dead all that time. Now, I nearly did that, and I didn’t do it, but that was a thought.”

Notably, Alfie seemingly met his end in Peaky Blinders Season 4 at the hands of Tommy, only to make a surprising comeback in later installments. However, Knight’s original vision for the Peaky Blinders movie would’ve modified Alfie’s fate in the series. With Hardy’s character dying in the fourth season, his subsequent appearances in the show would’ve then come in a Sixth Sense-style twist, with Shelby simply imagining his conversations with the Jewish gang leader.

In the sit-down, Knight also touched upon a potential Alfie Solomons spin-off. Talking about its possibility, the Peaky Blinders creator noted, “No, I never have. I don’t think it would work. He’s so good, and he’s been so great with Alfie. He wouldn’t let Alfie die when I killed him in [season four]. He kept texting, saying, ‘Alfie’s not dead.’ So back he came. But in terms of there being an Alfie Solomon series, no.”