Netflix confirms release date, cast, and new images for STEVE, a powerful character drama set to arrive this fall.
Fresh off his Oscar win, Cillian Murphy returns to the screen in STEVE, a raw, mid-’90s-set drama from director Tim Mielants and author-screenwriter Max Porter. Netflix has unveiled the film’s first look, official release date, and full cast, and all signs point to a story that’s as emotionally charged as it is timely.
STEVE will hit select theaters this September, before landing on Netflix globally on October 3, 2025.
A Story of Survival, Struggle, and Second Chances
Based on Max Porter’s Sunday Times bestselling novel Shy, STEVE unfolds over the course of a single day at a last-chance reform school in rural England. Murphy stars as Steve, the school’s exhausted but determined headteacher, doing everything he can to keep the institution alive. As the threat of closure looms, Steve fights on behalf of the boys in his care while quietly battling his own mental health crisis.
The film also follows 17-year-old Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a student wrestling with trauma, rage, and a fragile sense of self. His story runs in parallel to Steve’s, and together their paths reveal what it means to carry weight you were never meant to bear, and how fragile the line is between redemption and collapse.
A Deep, Unflinching Look at Marginalized Youth
STEVE doesn’t shy away from darkness, but it’s not without hope. The film explores the chaos, tenderness, and volatility of young lives on the brink, all while holding space for the adults tasked with helping them survive. Murphy leads a cast that includes Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo (Little Simz), Emily Watson, and rising talents like Araloyin Oshunremi (Top Boy) and Joshua J Parker.
Backed by producers Alan Moloney, Cillian Murphy, and Tina Pawlik, and featuring a haunting original score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Annihilation, Ex Machina), STEVE marks the latest collaboration between Murphy and Mielants, who previously worked together on Peaky Blinders and Small Things Like These.
Movie Details
- In Select Theaters: September 2025
- On Netflix: October 3, 2025
Cast & Crew
Lead Cast
- Cillian Murphy
- Jay Lycurgo
- Tracey Ullman
- Simbi Ajikawo
- Emily Watson
Additional Cast
- Douggie McMeekin
- Youssef Kerkour
- Luke Ayres
- Joshua J Parker
- Araloyin Oshunremi
- Tut Nyuot
- Tom Moya
- Ahmed Ismail
- Joshua Barry
- Archie Fisher
- Ben Lloyd-Hughes
- Priyanga Burford
- George Fouracres
- Marcus Garvey
- Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis
- Roger Allam
- Director: Tim Mielants
- Writer & Executive Producer: Max Porter
- Producers: Alan Moloney, Cillian Murphy, Tina Pawlik
- Music By: Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow
- Studio: Netflix