Cillian Murphy‘s new movie is beating Peaky Blinders to a surprising career first. The Irish actor’s early film roles include the horror movie 28 Days Later (2002), and he began collaborating with Christopher Nolan in 2005, starring as the Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy from 2005 to 2012 and later appearing in Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017). However, Murphy rose to greater fame for his portrayal of Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders, the BBC period drama running from 2013 to 2022.

In 2023, Murphy played the тιтular physicist in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Otherwise, the film was a mᴀssive success, making nearly $1 billion at the box office and winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The following year, Murphy starred in Small Things Like These, which flew under the radar but featured another solid performance from the Irish actor. Now, Murphy has a new movie coming out, and it will beat Peaky Blinders to a surprising career first for the actor.

Steve Will Be Cillian Murphy’s First-Released Netflix Original Movie

The Movie Will Be Released On October 3 On Netflix

Cillian Murphy is starring in a new movie тιтled Steve, which will be his first Netflix original. Reuniting with director Tim Mielants after Small Things Like These, with a script written by Max Porter based on his 2023 novella Shy, the upcoming movie stars Murphy as the тιтular Steve, the head teacher at a school for boys with societal and behavioral difficulties. The cast also includes Emily Watson, also reuniting with Murphy after Small Things Like These, alongside Jay Lycurgo, Tracey Ullman, and Simbi Ajikawo.

Steve tells the story of a head teacher fighting to save his reform school from imminent closure, interwoven with the personal journey of one of his students. Set in the mid-1990s, the film follows a critical day in the lives of Steve and his pupils at a last-chance reform school which has been abandoned by the world around them. As Steve struggles to uphold the school’s values and keep it open, he is also confronted by his own mental health struggles.

Running alongside Steve’s story is the story of Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a troubled teenager torn between a painful past and an uncertain future, as he wrestles with his vulnerability and a destructive pull toward violence. Steve releases in select theaters this September, followed by its Netflix release on October 3. The streamer shared a first look at Murphy in the movie, which can be seen below:

The Immortal Man Will Likely Follow After Steve

Murphy Will Be Back As Thomas Shelby

After Steve releases on Netflix this October, The Immortal Man will likely follow after that. The Peaky Blinders movie will serve as a continuation of the original series and feature the return of Murphy as Thomas Shelby alongside Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg, Sophie Rundle as Ada Thorne, Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong, Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs, and Ian Peck as Curly. New cast members include Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Barry Keoghan, and Jay Lycurgo – the last of whom reunites with Murphy after Steve.

The Immortal Man will be released on Netflix, but it’s unclear when the movie will actually hit the streaming service. While filming wrapped in December 2024, the movie does not yet have an official release date. In February 2025, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight said The Immortal Man will be released “in about a year,” meaning it could be released anywhere from late 2025 to early 2026. Either way, Steve will beat The Immortal Man to be Murphy’s first Netflix movie.

Immortal Man & Steve Set A New Career Trend For Cillian Murphy

Murphy Is Starring In More Streaming Original Movies

Together, The Immortal Man and Steve signal a new career trend for Cillian Murphy, showing his increasing interest in starring in more streaming original movies. Murphy is an actor who has always been committed to making the movies that he wants to make, whether it’s a small indie drama or a Christopher Nolan blockbuster. Streaming original movies, which can sometimes take creative risks that theatrical releases can’t, simply offer Cillian Murphy more opportunities to make the movies that he wants to make.