Saoirse Ronan’s journey reads like a masterclass in artistic evolution, and 2026 marks the moment she steps decisively into uncharted territory. After more than two decades of captivating audiences—from her television debut in RTÉ’s THE CLINIC at just nine years old to her Oscar-nominated turn in ATONEMENT at thirteen—the Carlow-born actress is ready to redefine her relationship with cinema by stepping behind the camera. Her directorial debut, a short film titled PAPER PLANE for which she’s also credited as the primary writer, arrives at a pivotal crossroads in her life, one she’s been contemplating with the kind of introspection that has always distinguished her work from mere performance.
When Ronan spoke to Deadline about her decision to pull back from the relentless pace of acting, she articulated something rarely admitted in an industry that prizes constant visibility: the need to protect the purity of her craft. After over twenty years in the business, she explained, there’s a fork in the road where she must ensure her work doesn’t become stale, that the simplicity and authenticity she brought to her earliest roles—that childlike approach many former child actors struggle to preserve—remains intact. This isn’t about retreating from the spotlight for its own sake but about safeguarding something deeply personal. She does this work for herself, not for external validation, and the moment that internal compass shifts, she’s prepared to chart a different course. It’s a philosophy born from experience, from understanding that longevity in this profession requires more than talent—it demands conscious choices about when to push forward and when to step sideways into new creative challenges.
The timing feels particularly resonant given that Ronan recently welcomed her first child, a life event that naturally invites reflection on priorities and legacy. Her recent filmography includes BAD APPLES in 2025, and her next acting commitment places her alongside Paul Mescal in an upcoming Beatles biopic series where she’ll portray Linda McCartney opposite his Paul McCartney—a pairing that promises both dramatic heft and the kind of chemistry audiences have come to expect from Ireland’s most celebrated exports. But PAPER PLANE represents something entirely different, a chance for Ronan to translate her accumulated knowledge as a performer into the language of direction and storytelling from a new vantage point.
With four Oscar nominations already under her belt and a career that has moved seamlessly from I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN in 2007 through countless projects that have showcased her range and depth, Ronan isn’t simply adding another credit to an already impressive résumé. She’s listening to that internal voice that has guided her from THE CLINIC to Hollywood’s brightest stages, the one insisting that true artistic fulfillment sometimes means letting go of what you know best to discover what you might become. Screen Ireland’s confirmation of her involvement in PAPER PLANE offers few details about plot or scope, but with Ronan’s name attached as both director and writer, expectations are understandably sky-high—this is an artist who has never settled for the easy path, and her transition from in front of the lens to behind it promises to be as thoughtful and compelling as everything she’s given us before.
Caitriona Balfe has just landed her next major role in THE HOUSEKEEPER.
Set in a grand historic manor against Cornwall`s dramatic landscape, Balfe plays Danni, a housekeeper who falls into a forbidden affair with none other than writer Daphne du Maurier (played by Mackenzi Laird).
While we`re counting down to OUTLANDER`s final season premiere on Mar 6th, Balfe is already proving she`s so much more than Claire Fraser. 🔥
More Caitriona at irishfilmtv.com.
After over 20 years of mesmerizing us on screen, Saoirse Ronan is ready to call the shots—literally.
The four-time Oscar nominee is making her directorial debut with PAPER PLANE, an Irish short film she`s also writing, and honestly, this feels like the natural next chapter for someone who`s been acting since she was nine years old.
Details about PAPER PLANE are still under wraps, but with Ronan`s track record, expectations are sky-high. What are you most excited to see from her behind the camera? 🎬
More Saoirse at irishfilmtv.com.
Louis Paxton`s Sundance 2026 debut THE INCOMER stars Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, and Grant O`Rourke in a trio that`s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.
Think fish-out-of-water meets generational grief, wrapped in the warmth of fireside hot chocolate. Sometimes the scariest thing isn`t a legendary Fin Man—it`s letting go of the past.
Have you ever held onto something because changing felt like betrayal?
More Domhnall at irishfilmtv.com.
🎸 THE BEATLES ARE COMING BACK TO CINEMAS.
Four films. Four perspectives. One legendary band.
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
The first look just dropped via postcards hidden around Liverpool`s performing arts campus and honestly?
The hype is REAL. 🔥
Sam Mendes is directing all four films, each told from a different Beatle`s POV, and they`re ALL releasing on the same day—April 7, 2028.
Which Beatle`s story are you most excited to see? 👇
Irish talent is absolutely dominating the 2026 BAFTA nominations! 🇮🇪✨
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal both scored major noms for HAMNET, with Buckley up for Leading Actress as Agnes and Mescal recognized for Supporting Actor as William Shakespeare. The film has basically swept the nominations, breaking records left and right.
But that`s just the beginning. Andrew Scott landed on the longlist for BLUE MOON, Robbie Ryan got recognized for his stunning cinematography on BUGONIA, and even Cillian Murphy appears as a producer on the STEVE longlist.
From performers to cinematographers to production companies like Element Pictures and Wild Atlantic Pictures, Irish voices are everywhere in this year`s race.
The ceremony hits London on February 22nd. The world is watching Irish cinema right now, and what a moment to witness. 🎬🔥
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #BAFTA #BAFTAs #BAFTA2026 #JessieBuckley #PaulMescal #AndrewScott #CillianMurphy #RobbieRyan #Hamnet #AwardsSeason #IrishTalent #FilmTwitter #Filmmaking #IrishProud
Aidan Turner is about to prove the pen is mightier than the sword 🗡️
Fresh from his scene-stealing turn as Declan O`Hara in RIVALS, Turner takes on one of literature`s most dangerously charismatic figures: the Vicomte de Valmont in DANGEROUS LIAISONS.
Mar 21 to Jun 6 at @nationaltheatre - more at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott delivers a coolly contained Richard Rodgers in BLUE MOON, now streaming.
Set over one night inside Sardi`s restaurant during the 1943 opening of OKLAHOMA!, it unfolds as a rueful, jazz-inflected chamber piece—talky, intimate, devastating.
More BLUE MOON at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 Aidan Gillen is heading back to the dark side of London for DRIVER, a gritty British crime romance that pairs him with the phenomenal @dafnekeen!
Gillen plays Trey, a reclusive ex-con turned night driver navigating London`s after-hours underworld, while Keen takes on Camden, a sharp and restless young woman working as a call girl. What begins as chance encounters evolves into something fragile, intimate, and charged with tension.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Paul Mescal and Josh O`Connor are bringing something truly special to THE HISTORY OF SOUND 🎵✨
The two actors sang, reminisced, and opened up about this intimate musical journey. Recording onto actual wax cylinders gave them a tangible connection to their characters` world—the fragility of the medium mirrors the fragility of memory itself.
They revealed which Beatles song their characters would love and discussed the upcoming Beatles biopics. What emerges most powerfully is the chemistry between them—THE HISTORY OF SOUND is ultimately about how music becomes the language through which we express what words cannot capture 🎬🎶
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #PaulMescal #JoshOConnor #TheHistoryOfSound #IndieFilm #MovieNews #FilmLovers #CinemaLovers #MusicInFilm #PeriodDrama #BritishCinema #Acting #Cinephile #NewRelease #thebeatles
🎬✨ The nominations are IN!
The 2026 @iftaacademy Awards are celebrating another extraordinary year of Irish storytelling that`s captured hearts around the world.
The future of Irish film and drama has never looked brighter. 🇮🇪🎭
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #IFTA #IFTAAwards #IFTAAwards2026 #FilmAwards #CiarànHinds #KevinMcGahern #DublinEvents #IrishTalent #Filmmaking #Awards #AwardSeason #IrishDrama #Storytelling #FilmIndustry #IrishCreatives
Westeros is trading dragonfire for something a bit more human!
Set nearly a century before GAME OF THRONES, HBO’s latest venture into the world of Ice and Fire, A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, is now on #HBO.
First look trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
** NEW TRAILER ALERT **
Fresh off her 2026 Golden Globe win for HAMNET, Ireland`s own Jessie Buckley delivers a career-defining performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal`s audacious reimagining of a classic monster tale.
Set in gritty 1930s Chicago, THE BRIDE! transforms Frankenstein`s silent companion into a revolutionary force of nature—murdered, resurrected, and absolutely refusing to play by anyone`s rules.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
Lisa McGee (yes, the genius behind DERRY GIRLS) is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST and it sounds absolutely unhinged in the best way possible.
Three childhood friends—chaotic TV writer Saoirse, stressed mum-of-three Robyn, and dependable Dara—reunite for the wake of their estranged fourth friend. What starts as a simple journey across Ireland quickly spirals into something darker when eerie events unfold and a buried childhood secret threatens to surface.
Mark your calendars for February 2026 because this Irish odyssey is going to be unmissable!
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #Netflix #NetflixSeries #LisaMcGee #DerryGirls #Belfast #ComediThriller #IrishDrama #IrishStories #MustWatch #ComingSoon #NewSeries #IrishWriters #IrishEntertainment #TVDrama #NetflixOriginal #BingeWorthy #IrishWomen
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.
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #CillianMurphy #DamienChazelle #DanielCraig #MichelleWilliams #Hollywood #MovieNews #ComingSoon #Paramount #Oppenheimer #OscarWinner #PrisonDrama #NewMovie #FilmProduction #ActorLife
🎬 LEGENDARY BELFAST ACTOR CIARÁN HINDS TO RECEIVE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 🏆
From Belfast streets to Hollywood`s biggest stages, Ciarán Hinds has given us five decades of unforgettable performances.
The Irish Film & Television Academy is honoring this Oscar-nominated powerhouse with the Irish Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement at this year`s IFTA ceremony on February 20th.
Hinds has worked with everyone from Scorsese to Spielberg, shared the screen with icons like Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, and earned nominations from the Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs. Whether in BELFAST (which earned him that Oscar nod), EXCALIBUR, or countless other projects, he`s brought depth, dignity, and raw talent to every role.
With new projects like Netflix`s EAST OF EDEN on the horizon, this Belfast-born legend continues to prove why he`s one of Ireland`s greatest exports to cinema. A true master of the craft. 👏
Congratulations, Ciarán! ✨
#Ireland #Irish #Movies #Film #Television #TV #Cinema #Irishmovies #IrishFilm #IrishCinema #Actor #ActorsLife #IrishActor #IFTA #IFTAAwards #LifetimeAchievement #CiaránHinds #Belfast #Oscar #BelfastMovie #IrishTalent #FilmAwards #IrishPride #CelebratingExcellence #IrishArts #ScreenLegend #ActingLegend
