If you're looking for your next thought-provoking film watch, this might just be it. Cillian Murphy has described his latest project, Steve, as a story that “broke his heart”.
Based on Shy, the novella by Max Porter, the movie takes place in a young offenders' institution, tackling boyhood, mental health and male fragility. Cillian will play title character Steve, the devoted headteacher of the school, while the story also parallels with Shy, a teenage boy who grapples with violent impulses and self-destructive behaviour.
Thanks to recent casting news, we've learned that Little Simz will also appear in the film alongside Cillian, as well as rising star Jay Lycurgo in the role of teenager Shy. The movie marks the first release from Cillian's own production company, Big Things Films, launched with his long-time collaborator Alan Moloney.
Speaking to Deadline about reading the story for the first time, Cillian said back in 2024: “I just adore Max’s writing and the thing his writing does for me… it’s something I’ve always chased down in writing — is something that has an actual visceral effect on you, an emotional effect. Max gave me that book in a proof edition before he finished it… it just broke my heart. They’re the sorts of things I love as a reader and as a performer, so I really wanted to do something with him.”
Here's everything we know about Steve, from casting news to release dates.
What is Steve about?
Steve is based on the short novel Shy, which is told from the perspective of a troubled teenage boy who has found himself in a young offenders' institution. The film adaption will centre on the perspective of the school's headteacher, Steve, who also struggles with his mental health – though the storyline will flip between both Steve and teenager Shy.
Per Netflix's Tudum, the plot line reads: “Set in the mid-’90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter's Sunday Times bestseller Shy. The film follows a pivotal day in the life of head teacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amid a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school’s integrity and prevent its impending closure, he grapples with his own mental health. In parallel to Steve’s struggles, we meet Shy, a troubled teen caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.”
Speaking of his decision to change the main perspective of the film, Cillian told Deadline: "It was Max’s idea to change the perspective and flip it around to the headteacher who runs this institution. Myself and Alan and Max got on a call and we started to turn it around in our heads and it seemed like we could make a film out of it. The same events happen, we’re just looking at them through a different lens.
“And I love films that happen in real time — this all happens in 24 hours so there’s immediately sort of an intense pressure on the characters.”
Who is in the cast of Steve?
Cillian Murphy takes on the titular role as school headteacher Steve, while Jay Lycurgo (who will also appear in the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie) will play Shy.
Little Simz has also been confirmed in the cast line-up as an unknown character, while Tracey Ullman and Emily Watson will also appear.
Is there a trailer for Steve?
As yet, there's no trailer release to get stuck into… only one sweet photo taken on set:
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When is the release date for Steve?
The film will launch in select cinemas in September, and premieres on Netflix globally on 3 October 2025.
