Behold Cillian Murphy as Steve

Murphy will be Steve in theaters before the film lands on Netflix October 3.

By Emma Keates | June 24, 2025 | 11:43am

Photo: Michael Baker/©A.M.P.A.S.

Film News Cillian Murphy

Now Cillian Murphy has become Steve, educator of youth. For his next feature, the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer star is taking on a slightly less infamous, but no less impactful name. Steve may not have altered the course of global history, but he is changing the lives of his students “at a last-chance reform school amid a world that has forsaken them,” per Netflix’s description.

Set in the mid-’90s, Steve follows “a pivotal day in the life of head teacher Steve,” as the streamer’s synopsis continues. “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 (Jay Lycurgo), 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.”

Helmed by Tim Mielants, who previously directed Murphy in 2024’s Small Things Like These, Steve is an adaptation of Max Porter’s 2023 novel Shy. Porter also wrote the screenplay. In addition to Murphy, the film stars Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo (aka Little Simz), and Emily Watson. It’s set for a limited theatrical release in September before landing on Netflix October 3.

But that’s not why you’re here. Without further ado, here’s Cillian Murphy as Steve:

Cillian Murphy as Steve (courtesy of Netflix)

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