Cillian Murphy's TIFF Triumph: Oppenheimer Oscar, New Film Buzz, and ROMO Over Nolan's Odyssey

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Cillian Murphy, fresh off his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, just made a major splash at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. On September 5, he walked the red carpet in a custom black velvet suit by Studio Nicholson, looking every bit the global star, as reported by RTE. Fans and press were buzzing about his appearance at the world premiere of Steve, his new film with Tracey Ullman, directed by Tim Mielants and written by Max Porter. The movie, adapted from Porter's bestseller Shy, finds Murphy digging deep as Steve, a headteacher at a last-chance reform school. Variety’s Peter Debruge singled out Murphy’s performance for its humility and emotional heft, underscoring that his post-Oppenheimer choices are anything but safe.

Murphy was joined at the premiere by Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, and Simbi Ajikawo. The red carpet saw a media frenzy and significant social media chatter, with style outlets praising his relaxed glamour and movie fans celebrating his return to a complex, intense role. Toronto always brings the A-list, but Murphy’s outing was highlighted as one of the festival’s most anticipated moments this season.

He also sat for interviews at TIFF Studio, where he addressed his absence from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey. Speaking to Variety, Murphy made clear he’s totally fine sitting this one out, joking that he feels ROMO—relief of missing out—not FOMO when it comes to Nolan’s new project. He was generous about his longtime collaborator, calling Nolan “one in a million” and expressing unqualified excitement to see the film as a fan, as covered by the Times of India.

As for Peaky Blinders fans, Murphy confirmed he’s finished filming The Immortal Man, the much-hyped follow-up film debuting next year. He reflected in The Observer that returning to Tommy Shelby after so many years—he’s played the character for a quarter of his life—was emotional and felt like “a proper bookend to the whole 36 hours of television.” Murphy was pointedly tight-lipped about plot details, saying only that a strong script and duty to fans convinced him to do “one more Shelby haircut.”

Murphy’s online presence remains elusive, but reports of fans speculating about his involvement in the new 28 Years Later trilogy exploded after the trailer dropped earlier this summer. Despite hopes, the viral “zombie cameo” everyone buzzed about was not actually him, a fact he handled with characteristic dry wit in The Observer.

In sum, Cillian Murphy’s past week has been a high-profile masterclass in balancing artistic risk, fan loyalty, and star power, cementing a phase in his career that could define his legacy. No major controversies or unconfirmed rumors have surfaced—just critical acclaim, measured self-reflection, and anticipation for what comes next.

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