Daniel Day-Lewis is back, and the world should take notice. Eight years after declaring his retirement from acting with the finality of a man who seemed to mean it this time, the three-time Oscar winner has emerged from his self-imposed exile with ANEMONE, a deeply personal project that marks not just his return to the screen, but a profound collaboration with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, who makes his feature directorial debut.
The announcement comes with all the gravitas we’ve come to expect from Day-Lewis—a single, haunting image that immediately reminds us what we’ve been missing. There’s an intensity in his gaze that speaks to the eight-year absence, a weight that only an actor of his caliber can carry. This isn’t just another comeback; this is Daniel Day-Lewis choosing to break his own artistic sabbatical for something that clearly demanded his return.
ANEMONE, which will world premiere at the 63rd New York Film Festival before opening in limited release on October 3, represents something entirely new in Day-Lewis’s career. For the first time, he’s working with family in the most literal sense, co-writing the screenplay with his son and submitting to his direction. The project is described as “an absorbing family drama about lives undone by seemingly irreconcilable legacies of political and personal violence,” following a middle-aged man played by Sean Bean who ventures into the woods to reconnect with his estranged hermit brother—Day-Lewis’s character. It’s a setup that feels almost too perfectly suited to an actor who has spent his career disappearing into roles and, more recently, disappearing from the industry entirely.
The timing of Day-Lewis’s return feels significant. When he announced his retirement following 2017’s PHANTOM THREAD, his statement carried a weight that his previous departures hadn’t. This wasn’t the same man who temporarily left acting after THE BOXER in 1996 to apprentice as a cobbler in Italy, only to return with renewed purpose. His 2017 retirement felt different, more final. In interviews, he spoke of losing faith in the value of his work, of needing to believe in what he was doing but finding that belief increasingly elusive. “I need to believe in the value of what I’m doing,” he told W magazine. “The work can seem vital. Irresistible, even. And if an audience believes it, that should be good enough for me. But, lately, it isn’t.”
What changed? The answer seems to lie in the deeply personal nature of ANEMONE. This isn’t just another role for Day-Lewis; it’s a family project exploring “the complex and profound ties that exist between brothers, fathers, and sons.” Working alongside his son Ronan, who comes from a background as a painter and artist, Day-Lewis has found something worth returning for—a story that demanded to be told and a creative partnership that reignited his passion for the craft.
The film’s supporting cast includes Samantha Morton and Samuel Bottomley, with Ben Fordesman, fresh off LOVE LIES BLEEDING, handling cinematography. The project has all the hallmarks of a serious awards contender, arriving in the thick of awards season with the kind of pedigree that demands attention. But more than its awards potential, ANEMONE represents a fascinating evolution for an actor who has spent decades perfecting the art of transformation.
Colin Farrell`s THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH is a documentary about friendship, resilience, and refusing to accept limitations.
It`s the story of two people who`ve built their lives around each other, and one extraordinary day that proves what`s possible when someone truly shows up for you.
Directed by Rachel Fleit (BAMA RUSH), the film premieres at the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival before coming to HBO and HBO Max globally later this year.
More Colin at irishfilmtv.com.
50 years, GAME OF THRONES, BELFAST, an Oscar nomination and now a lifetime achievement award!
Ciarán Hinds doesn`t look back. He looks ahead. He lives in the moment. And when asked to reflect on five decades of extraordinary work, his response was simply—"It`s kind of shocking."
More Ciaran at irishfilmtv.com.
Some ghosts don`t stay buried.
Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelbyun THE IMMORTAL MAN - older, greyer, and facing the legacy he left behind.
His son runs the Blinders now. His past won`t let him rest. One choice will change everything. 👑💔
Cinemas March 6 • Netflix March 20
More at irishfilmtv.com.
✨ EXCLUSIVE: Eve Hewson is heading back to Dublin.
Joining forces with acclaimed director Lenny Abrahamson, the Irish actress is set to star in a stunning new period drama that transports us to 1970s Dublin—a city pulsing with cultural complexity and untold stories.
The film will explore the vibrant Jewish community of the era, with Hewson joined by acclaimed English actor Tom Burke and breakthrough talent Shane Meagher. A reunion of Abrahamson`s trusted collaborators (hello, NORMAL PEOPLE magic ✨), this ensemble promises something truly special.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
MOBLAND Season Two is underway!
Irish actors @piersmorgan and @scandalous_13 are back and this season promises to be something else entirely!
Season One made history as one of Paramount+`s biggest ever debuts, and if the word coming out of production is anything to go by, they`re not here to play it safe.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Liam Neeson returns to theatres in COLD STORAGE - the kind of film that makes you laugh, makes your skin crawl, and then makes you laugh again!
A 1979 NASA cover-up. An alien fungus sealed in a government vault. And two underpaid warehouse workers who just became humanity`s last hope.
Sharp. Funny. Genuinely unsettling. More Liam at irishfilmtv.com.
Brendan Gleeson returns to THE WEIR as cameras roll in Ireland, bringing Conor McPherson`s haunting stage masterpiece to the screen.
Fresh off a five-star West End run that WhatsOnStage called "staggeringly good," the entire acclaimed cast is back to capture the magic of this modern Irish classic.
More Brendan at irishfilmtv.com.
When Emerald Fennell texted @alisonjoliver about joining WUTHERING HEIGHTS, the answer was immediate: yes.
"I just love her so much that I would do anything she was doing," Oliver says about reuniting with Fennell after SALTBURN.
The film is now in theatres, more at irishfilmtv.com.
Barry Keoghan has arrived.
The Dublin actor who made us unable to look away in SALTBURN is now going head-to-head with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry in CRIME 101 — and he`s not just keeping up, he`s stealing scenes.
This isn`t just another role—this is Keoghan proving he belongs among Hollywood`s heaviest hitters, taking his Love/Hate juice straight to LA and reminding everyone that sometimes the hungriest actor in the room is the most dangerous one.
More Barry at irishfilmtv.com.
