Don McCullin Unveils Behind-the-Scenes of ‘Steve’ (Unique)

The Hollywood Reporter can unveil behind-the-scenes imagery of Cillian Murphy‘s Steve, shot by legendary British photojournalist Sir Don McCullin.

The Netflix drama, directed by Tim Mielants and written by Max Porter, is a reimagining of Porter’s best-selling novel Shy and follows a pivotal day within the lifetime of head instructor Steve (Murphy) and his college students at a last-chance reform faculty.

As Steve fights to guard the college’s integrity and impending closure, we witness him grappling together with his personal psychological well being. In parallel with Steve and his struggles, we meet Shy (Jay Lycurgo, who received a BIFA for his efficiency Sunday night time), a troubled teen caught between his previous and what lies forward as he tries to reconcile his internal fragility together with his impulse for self-destruction and violence. Tracey Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo and Emily Watson are additionally amongst the spectacular ensemble forged.

McCullin — whose portfolio consists of history-making snaps from the Vietnam War, the Troubles and the Falklands War — has solely ever captured a handful of movies in his profession, together with Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966) and Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down (2001). According to McCullin, Steve is his ultimate one.

McCullin, 90, spent a number of days documenting the manufacturing, capturing never-before-seen reportage pictures and referencing the fashion of a few of his earlier work. Oscar-winner Murphy, Mielants and the broader Steve ensemble may be seen within the behind-the-scents (BTS) photographs bringing Porter’s script to life.

Steve earned its world premiere on the Toronto International Film Festival earlier than its streaming debut on Netflix on Oct. 3. Murphy instructed THR about signing on after his career-defining Oppenheimer success: “As soon as I finished the Oppenheimer awards run, we went straight into Steve. It wasn’t strategic on my part, going one big one, one small one.”

“These were just the stories that drew me,” the Irish actor continued. “They were written by friends, and since we had a production company, we were able to get them made. And these are exactly the sort of stories that I want to tell, the kind of films I go to see myself.”

THR‘s chief movie critic David Rooney mentioned of the “deeply moving” movie: “Moments of humor and rare quiet are essential to relieve the manic chaos that more often reigns in this unflinching but compassionate slice of social realism.”

In 2020, Angelina Jolie was tapped to direct a biopic about McCullin, Unreasonable Behaviour from Working Title, named after the photographer’s critically acclaimed autobiography.