Peaky Blinders game developer reveals how they recast role of Polly

The Peaky Blinders virtual reality title is set between season 4 and season 5 of the show. The player-character will join the iconic criminal gang and interact with several familiar faces. But this slot in the chronology presented a challenge to the game's developers at Maze Theory.

Although Peaky Blinders season 6 will feature a touching Helen McCrory tribute that addresses Polly's departure from the show, this gaming spinoff takes place at an earlier point in the timeline when Polly was still an active member of the gang's leadership team.

Maze Theory studio director Russ Harding recently chatted to RadioTimes.com about his work on Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom, and one of the things he told us about was how the VR game developers approached this sensitive topic.

Harding explained: “Very sadly, before we could work with her, Helen passed away, so that was really, really sad news."

Harding was full of praise for McCrory, and he noted that he thought "they had a very tough production" on Peaky Blinders season 6 in McCrory's absence.

Harding went on to tell us: "Polly does appear in the game. She is in the game. But rather than mimicking Helen, we're working with an actress to take on Polly and build around her legacy of that character."

The developer did not name the actress who is taking on the role of Polly, but he did note that Polly is "such a great character".

Harding also explained that the team at Maze Theory collaborated directly with Peaky Blinders showrunner Steven Knight and a team of writers to develop the game's story, which is considered to be in the same canon as the show.

The game takes place in 1928 and features a number of recognisable locations and characters from the show. Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom, and Paul Anderson also returns as Arthur Shelby for the VR game.

Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom is set for release in 2022, and we'll bring you more insights from our interview soon.

Read more:

• Peaky Blinders season 6 review: Helen McCrory tribute is a breathtaking triumph
• Peaky Blinders director shares behind-the-scenes season 6 teaser images
• Peaky Blinders boss on season 6: 'Tommy's biggest enemy is himself'
• Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy teases "intense" and "gothic" final season

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