Why 2025 Could Be Cillian Murphy's Best Year for Movies


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Irish actor Cillian Murphy has been consistently churning out excellent performances for well over two decades now. From iconic franchises such as Batman to indie dramas like his recent film Small Things Like These, he has proven his immense acting abilities countless times. His frequent collaborations with Christopher Nolan display both his acting chops and his dedication to making quality films. He has taken on incredible roles in horror and sci-fi with films like A Quiet Place Part II and Sunshine, and even fun thrillers like Red Eye. No matter what the role is, Cillian Murphy always delivers.

The two projects he is perhaps best known for are the BBC/Netflix British crime drama Peaky Blinders and the zombie apocalypse horror film 28 Days Later. In Peaky Blinders, he plays a no-nonsense, tough-as-nails gang leader, and in 28 Days Later, he plays a bicycle courier who wakes up from a coma 28 days after a rage virus infects all of London. Both 28 Days Later and Peaky Blinders have new movies coming out that fans are eagerly anticipating. These films have the potential to make Murphy’s 2025 his best year yet.

The Long-Awaited ’28 Years Later’ Will Be Released This Coming Summer

Release Date

June 20, 2025

It has been over 20 years since director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland changed the zombie subgenre forever with 28 Days Later. The universally loved post-apocalyptic flick spawned a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which was released in 2007, which featured one of the most memorable opening sequences put to film.

Although the sequel doesn’t hold up as well as the original for most fans, anticipation for the third installment has been years in the making. Speculation about a possible third film circulated for a long time before it was officially confirmed in January 2024, and speculation about how Cillian Murphy will return to the franchise has been going on since.

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28 Years Later will release on June 20, 2025 and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes. Murphy is listed as part of the cast as his character Jim from the first movie, although it is uncertain in what capacity he will return to the franchise. The official trailer dropped on December 10th and features snippets of the upcoming film, including glimpses of Taylor-Johnson, Comer, and Fiennes characters. Murphy was not shown in the trailer, although some fans mistakenly thought they saw him briefly. By not showing him in the trailer, the excitement surrounding Murphy’s return to the series continues to grow.

The Highly Anticipated ‘Peaky Blinders’ Movie Has Wrapped Filming

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Release Date

September 12, 2013

Cast

Annabelle Wallis
, Ian Peck
, Helen McCrory
, Paul Anderson
, Cillian Murphy
, Ned Dennehy
, Aimee-Ffion Edwards
, Sam Neill
, Sophie Rundle
, Tony Pitts
, Joe Cole

Seasons

6

On December 19th, the NetflixUK Instagram account shared a set photo with Murphy and Barry Keoghan to announce that the Peaky Blinders movie had wrapped filming. The show, which ran for six seasons from 2013-2022, follows gangster boss Thomas Shelby (Murphy) as he leads the Peaky Blinders, a group of fellow gangsters who sew razor blades into the peaks of their caps.

The show took place from the end of World War I to just before World War II began. The sixth season of the show saw Tommy Shelby set fire to the caravan he had disappeared into, seemingly abandoning his life as a criminal as he set off into the sunset on horseback. It’s unclear what direction the upcoming film will take from there, but it seems safe to assume that the gangster will be roped back into his family’s criminal ways.

The plot of the film has not yet been released, but it is confirmed that Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth have also joined the cast in addition to Keoghan. The film currently has no official title, although it has been speculated that it may be called The Immortal Man. With filming completed, the next step in the filmmaking process would be post-production, where the film is edited. With post-production likely starting soon (if it hasn’t already), the film could potentially be released in late 2025. If that’s the case, Murphy could have an enormous year ahead of him.

Potential for Another Blockbuster Double Feature

Murphy won his first Academy Award in March 2024 for his phenomenal work in Christopher Nolan’s biopic, Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer had a historic theatrical run in the summer of 2023, grossing nearly a billion at the global box office.

The film became part of a larger pop culture event thanks to the Barbenheimer phenomenon that occurred with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Both films were released on July 23rd of that year, and the stark differences in tone and plot amused moviegoers, thus Barbenheimer was born. The event brought tons of people to the movie theaters that normally don’t go to the movies and proved that most films should have a theatrical run.

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With 28 Years Later confirmed for a June release and the strong possibility of the Peaky Blinders movie releasing in late 2025, Murphy could be in for another historic year. The hype around 28 Years Later is undeniable, and it’s certain to be one of the year’s biggest horror releases. The untitled Peaky Blinders movie is set to premiere on Netflix, making it easily accessible for anyone with access to a Netflix account.

While it’s doubtful another pair of movies will have the same effect on pop culture as Barbie and Oppenheimer, both of Murphy’s upcoming films come with loyal fanbases. If Peaky Blinders premieres in the summer along with 28 Years, Murphy could experience another summer blockbuster phenomenon. Not only would he experience the craze once again, he would be starring in both films.

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