Netflix Film Steve Adaptation Official First Look ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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Cillian Murphy, best known for his work on Oppenheimer and 28 Days Later, is headlining a new Netflix movie titled Steve. The film is an adaptation of Max Porter’s 2023 novella Shy and will release on the streaming service on October 3.
Cillian Murphy stars as the titular Steve, a headteacher at a reformatory school for troubled youths. The film takes place over one day at this institute, as Steve does his best to manage the students under his care, most notably Shy, played by Jay Lycurgo.
The film is being directed by Tim Mielants, who has previously worked with Cillian Murphy on 2024’s Small Things Like These.
Netflix’s Steve Is An Adaptation of Max Porter’s Novel
Netflix’s Steve is based on 2023’s Shy. Both storylines are set in the 1990s, but Max Porter’s original novel was named after Shy, one of the young men admitted into the reformatory institute. In contrast, Netflix’s film was named after the headteacher, Steve.
The film focuses on Steve’s struggles as he does his best to guide the troubled students under his care on a better path. This proves to be a challenge given the individual issues each of them struggles with, which leads to them lashing out at him and trying to undermine his authority.
Like in Max Porter’s novel, Shy is given the most significant focus in the trailer, with Steve finding him an especially challenging case to crack. The trailer accentuates this by showing that Shy is very much capable of throwing his headteacher’s probing words back at him, adding to the toll the headteacher faces as part of this job.
As the constant power struggle between Steve and his students drags on, the story raises the question of whether the efforts of the reform school will ultimately pan out, or if Steve may have taken on more responsibility than he can bear.
Steve Cast
Cillian Murphy will reunite with director Tim Mielants — with whom he previously collaborated on Peaky Blinders Season 3 and Small Things Like These — for Netflix’s Steve. Joining him in the cast are Emily Watson, musician-turned-actor Simbi Ajikawo (better known as Little Simz), and comedy icon Tracey Ullman, who takes on a rare dramatic role in the film.
Max Porter Is An Accomplished Writer
Max Porter has steadily built a reputation as one of the most distinctive contemporary voices in literature, with multiple works now finding their way to the screen. His debut, Grief Is the Thing With Feathers (2015), a moving meditation on grief and healing, was adapted into The Thing With Feathers, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. Porter followed this with Lanny (2019), a haunting tale of a missing boy in rural England, which is currently being adapted by The Bureau and BBC Film, with Rachel Weisz attached to star. His third work, The Death of Francis Bacon (2021), offers an experimental and poignant depiction of the painter’s final days, capturing the chaos and fragility surrounding the acclaimed artist’s last moments.
