Cillian Murphy Leads a British-Irish Ensemble in Netflix’s Steve
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Last Updated on August 13, 2025 by Stefanie Hutson
Oscar winner Cillian Murphy stars in the upcoming period drama Steve, a reimagining of British author Max Porter’s bestseller Shy, set at a last-chance reform school in England in the mid-1990s. The film follows one pivotal day in the life of a head teacher fighting to save his school while also confronting his own mental health issues, with the story told in parallel through one of his students.
Even better? It includes a performance from Endeavour favourite Roger Allam.
What Is Steve About?
Steve charts two entwined struggles. Murphy’s head teacher fights to protect the school and his students while managing his own fraying mental health. In parallel, troubled teen Shy, played by Jay Lycurgo, weighs self-destruction against the possibility of change. Porter’s reimagining pivots the perspective of his book to the adult charged with saving the place and the boys inside it.
Who's In It?
The production is anchored by British and Irish talent. Murphy is joined by Tracey Ullman (Tracey Ullman’s Show), Jay Lycurgo (I May Destroy You), Simbi Ajikawo, also known as Little Simz (Top Boy), Emily Watson (Chernobyl), and Roger Allam (Endeavour). Additional familiar UK names appearing include Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Industry), Priyanga Burford (Press), Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis (The Serpent Queen), Youssef Kerkour (Home), and Araloyin Oshunremi (Top Boy).
When And Where To Watch
Steve will have its world premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform section, followed by a limited theatrical release beginning September 19. It will stream globally on Netflix starting October 3.
About the Book
Shy is a short novel (just 109 pages) by British author Max Porter, known for Grief Is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny. Set in mid-1990s England at a residential home called Last Chance for boys on the brink of exclusion, it compresses events into a single night as a teenager nicknamed Shy slips out with a rucksack of rocks while wrestling with the voices of teachers, social workers, family and friends. Porter uses a hybrid style of prose and poetry, with overlapping perspectives that keep the focus on Shy, his anger, fragility and hope. The film reimagines this material by shifting the central viewpoint to the head teacher, Steve, while keeping the book’s core themes of care, masculinity and second chances.
Behind The Camera
The screenplay is written by Max Porter, with direction by Tim Mielants, who recently worked with Murphy on Small Things Like These. The film is produced by Murphy and Irish producer Alan Moloney under their Big Things Films banner, with music by UK composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow.
