Trailer for Cillian Murphy's STEVE, About a Headteacher Fighting for His Students and Himself

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for Steve, a gripping drama starring Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy, and it’s based on Max Porter’s 2023 Sunday Times bestseller Shy.

Steve reimagines the story from the perspective of the reform school’s headteacher. Porter, who also penned the script and serves as executive producer, shifts the focus to Murphy’s character, an impassioned educator trying to hold his school together against mounting pressures.

Tim Mielants, who recently directed Murphy in Small Things Like These, returns to helm this project.

The drama is set in the mid-1990s and follows “a pivotal day in the life of Murphy’s eponymous character and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them. As Steve fights to protect the school’s integrity while also fighting its impending closure, he grapples with his own mental health.

“In parallel to Steve’s struggles, troubled teen Shy (Jay Lycurgo) is caught between his past and what lies ahead as he tries to reconcile his inner fragility with his impulse for self-destruction and violence.”

Murphy calls Steve “one of the most kind of exposing and terrifying characters I’ve ever played,” teasing the emotional depth and vulnerability audiences can expect. The cast also features Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo (aka Little Simz), and Emily Watson.

With its raw character work, political undercurrents, and tense one-day structure, Steve looks ready to deliver a potent mix of personal drama and social commentary.

The movie set to make its world premiere at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival in the Platform strand. The film will hit select theaters on September 19 before streaming on Netflix October 3.