Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy is assembling what could be one of the most electrifying ensembles of the next few years, anchoring Damien Chazelle’s mysterious new prison drama alongside Daniel Craig and the recently announced Michelle Williams. For Murphy, fresh off his Oscar-winning turn in OPPENHEIMER, this marks a fascinating pivot into what insiders suggest will be a contained, pressure-cooker environment that could showcase the intensity he’s become known for in an entirely new context. The Irish actor has long excelled at portraying men caught in moral and psychological vise grips, from his haunted gangster in PEAKY BLINDERS to the tormented physicist grappling with history’s weight, and a prison setting promises to be the ultimate crucible for that particular talent.

Chazelle’s decision to pursue this project tells its own story about Murphy’s draw as a leading man. The director had been juggling multiple high-profile possibilities, including an Evel Knievel biopic that had Leonardo DiCaprio circling the lead, but once Murphy and Craig committed to the prison film, everything else fell away. That speaks volumes about what Murphy brings to a project now—not just the technical brilliance and emotional precision that won him Academy recognition, but the kind of gravity that makes a filmmaker abandon other star-studded vehicles to focus entirely on bringing his vision to life with this particular actor at the center. Chazelle, who earned his reputation crafting searing character studies in WHIPLASH and LA LA LAND, clearly sees something in Murphy that demands this story be told with him, and the fact that Williams signed on right before the holidays suggests the script is worth abandoning safer bets for.

The secrecy surrounding the project only amplifies the intrigue around Murphy’s involvement. With production expected to begin later this year through Chazelle’s Wild Chickens Productions banner and Paramount handling distribution, details remain tantalizingly sparse beyond the prison setting. But that’s exactly where Murphy has always thrived—in the shadows and silences, in the spaces between words where tension builds and characters reveal themselves through microexpressions and coiled energy. Pairing him with Craig, another actor who commands the screen through sheer presence rather than volume, suggests Chazelle is building something that will rely on the kind of restrained, combustible performances both men excel at delivering. The fact that A-list talent continues rushing to join Chazelle’s projects, with Williams representing just the latest coup, means Murphy will be surrounded by the caliber of actors who can match his intensity scene for scene, creating the conditions for the kind of ensemble fireworks that only happen when everyone involved knows they’re working at the highest level. Whatever this untitled drama ultimately becomes, it’s shaping up as another defining chapter in Murphy’s remarkable ascent from character actor to undeniable leading force in cinema.

Fresh from wrapping THE IMMORTAL MAN, Cillian Murphy is teaming up with Daniel Craig and Michelle Williams for Damien Chazelle's mysterious new prison drama—and the buzz is already deafening.

Production starts later this year through Chazelle's Wild Chickens Productions, with Paramount distributing, but details remain sparse beyond the prison setting. 

For Murphy, it's another chance to do what he does best: portray men under impossible pressure with that signature intensity and precision. A contained prison environment with Craig and Williams? 

That's not just a movie—that's a masterclass waiting to happen.

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Barry Keoghan is having a MOMENT 🎬✨

The Dublin actor just dropped the trailer for CRIME 101 (hitting screens February 13!) and he's completely unrecognizable.

Keoghan goes head-to-head with Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, and Mark Ruffalo in this intense crime thriller.

Watch new trailer now at irishfilmtv.com.

#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #BarryKeoghan #Crime101 #PeakyBlinders #ChrisHemsworth #HalleBerry #MarkRuffalo #CillianMurphy #PaulMescal #TheBeatles #Hollywood #IrishTalent #Dublin

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Paul Mescal is an Irish God in the new @britishgq interview.

In just a few years, he's become more than an actor—he's a mirror we all project onto, filling him with our ideas about masculinity, vulnerability, and what a leading man can be in 2025.

More Mescal at irishfilmtv.com.

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A priest. A pool. A Spanish island. And one very dead body. 🏊‍♂️☠️

THESE SACRED VOWS hits RTÉ One on February 1st, and this wedding weekend mystery is about to become your next obsession.

Newly released trailer now at irishfilmtv.com.

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Killarney's own Jessie Buckley just took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress for HAMNET, and her acceptance speech was pure gold 🏆✨

In HAMNET, Buckley delivers a devastating performance as Agnes, William Shakespeare's wife, navigating the grief of losing their 11-year-old son. Critics are calling it unforgettable, and now she has the trophy to prove it 🎬💚

More Jessie at irishfilmtv.com.

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HAMNET star Jessie Buckley shines in BEAST, now on #Netflix.

A troubled woman living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.

More at irishfilmtv.com.

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🕺✨ DANCING WITH THE STARS IRELAND is back for S9 tonight!

Get ready for spray tans, sequins, and Sunday night sparkle because Ireland's favourite winter escape is almost here. Who's ready to vote their faves to victory? 💃

More at irishfilmtv.com.

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** Now on Netflix **

RUN AWAY brings Harlan Coben back to form with James Nesbitt doing what he does best—playing a tormented father searching for his missing daughter against all advice.

More at irishfilmtv.com.

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By order of the Peaky Blinders, Merry Christmas!

A teaser for the new film PEAKY BLINDERS: THE IMMORTAL MAN just dropped, and it features Cillian Murphy’s gangster Tommy Shelby returning to his old ways despite leaving them all behind at the end of the TV series.

Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.

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Domhnall Gleeson heads to a remote Scottish isle for THE INCOMER!

He plays an awkward council worker tasked with relocating two siblings who survive by hunting seabirds, talking to mythical beings, and fiercely defending their homeland from outsiders.

More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.

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Andrew Scott is bringing one of theater's most powerful true stories to life. 

The ALL OF US STRANGERS star will portray Scottish actor Ian Charleson in ELSINORE, chronicling Charleson's breathtaking final performance as Hamlet at London's National Theatre before his death in 1990 at age 40.

More via irishfilmtv.com.

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