Retired 3x Oscar-Winning Actor Returns After 8 Years & Hasn't Lost Their Acting Touch In First Anemone Trailer

Daniel Day-Lewis returns to acting after eight years in the first Anemone trailer, and he clearly hasn’t lost his touch. From Ronan Day-Lewis in his directorial debut, who co-wrote the screenplay with his father, the upcoming film features the return of the legendary three-time Oscar-winner and method actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, who retired from acting in 2017 after Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread.

In addition to Day-Lewis, the cast also includes Sean Bean, two-time Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (Sweet and Lowdown, In America), Samuel Bottomley, Safia Oakley-Green, Adam Fogerty, Lewis Ian Bray, and Karl Cam. Anemone started filming in October 2024, with set pH๏τos of Day-Lewis leaking online shortly thereafter. Now, the first full look at the film has been revealed.

Today, Focus Features released the first official trailer for Anemone. Set in Northern England, the trailer centers on a middle-aged man (played by Sean Bean) who leaves his suburban home to venture into the woods, where he reunites with his reclusive and long-estranged brother (played by Daniel Day-Lewis).

Tied together by a shadowy and complex history, the two brothers navigate a tense yet sometimes tender bond, one that is irreversibly shaped by devastating events from their past. Check out the trailer below:

What The Anemone Trailer Means For the Movie

He has earned three Academy Awards over his illustrious career for his performances as a man with cerebral palsy in 1989’s My Left Foot, a ruthless oil man in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, and the eponymous president in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. In 2017, after his sixth Oscar-nominated performance in Phantom Thread, Day-Lewis retired from acting.

While significant, Day-Lewis’ return to acting isn’t exactly surprising, considering he previously retired after 1997’s The Boxer to become a shoemaker in Italy, but returned in 2002 for Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, earning another Oscar nod. Not only has Day-Lewis returned to acting once again, but Anemone also represents the first screenwriting credit of his entire career.

Our Take On The Anemone Trailer

While it’s exciting to see him back, what remains unclear is if Day-Lewis has returned to acting on a consistent basis, or if Anemone is a one-time exception, since the film is a family affair, directed by and co-written with his son, Ronan. What is clear is that this familial collaboration has permeated its way into the story, as Anemone explores the complex and profound ties that exist between brothers, fathers, and sons.

Anemone releases in theaters on October 10.