Is Cillian Murphy’s new Netflix movie ‘Steve’ based on a true story?

Oscar winner Cillian Murphy stars in the new Netflix original movie “Steve”, set to premiere on Oct. 3, 2025, marking a return to gripping storytelling for Murphy, playing the titular head of a school struggling with mental illness.

Set in the mid-1990s, the story unfolds over the course of a single day at a reform school for troubled youth.

Murphy in the latest Netlfix’s original is a disillusioned headteacher who tries to navigate his charges as he struggles with his own demons in a world that has turned its back on both him and the kids under his guardianship.

The other central character is a 17-year-old student Shy, played by Jay Lycurgo, who is caught between unresolved trauma and an uncertain future. His inner conflict, torn between vulnerability and violent impulses, mirrors the broader themes of isolation and emotional survival.

Tracy Ullman, Simbi Ajikawo, and Emily Watson join the cast as well. Taking subtle inspiration from Murphy’s own background of having two teacher parents, the role guarantees a root-finding performance.

Is Steve based on a true story?

Steve is a film adaptation of Max Porter’s Sunday Times 2023 bestseller “Shy”. So it’s a fictional story. However, Max Porter, the author who wrote the script for the movie has adapted a new version of the his novel Shy which is about a troubled student at a British reform school, while the movie adaptation focuses on the head teacher Steve (Cillian Murphy) who is haunted by his own demons.