Murphy remains focused on meaningful roles, not just big paychecks in major franchises.
managed to squeeze in shooting a film called Small Things Like These, produced by Oppenheimer co-star Matt Damon’s company, Artists Equity. Murphy is also producing a long-awaited 28 Days Later sequel, currently titled 28 Years Later, which he’s intended to star in. Despite his recent success, Cillian Murphy is staying busy, and there’s a lot to look forward to in the next few years.
Blood Runs Coal Continues Cillian Murphy’s Historical Drama Trend
Cillian Murphy’s Movies Have Taken Him To Nearly Every Decade In The 20th Century
A noticeable trend in Cillian Murphy’s career is his tendency to pick historical drama films, at least over the past decade. After Oppenheimer won Best Picture at the 2024 Golden Globes, a journalist asked Murphy about his decision to work primarily on WWI and WWII films. Murphy explained that he doesn’t have a strategy in choosing his roles but looks for engaging and meaningful scripts. He described the era as “turbulent” and “interesting,” explaining his reasoning for continuously returning to early 20th-century period dramas.
With Blood Runs Coal set in the 1960s, Murphy will appear in an era he hasn’t visited in his recent work. It’s the same deal with Small Things Like These, which is set in the ’80s. So Murphy may be taking a break from the World Wars, at least until the Peaky Blinders movie, but he’s still exploring new fascinating historical periods. The 1960s are as intriguing and turbulent of a decade as any, making it a perfect next step for Murphy’s career.
| Cillian Murphy Historical Dramas | |
|---|---|
| Movie | Era |
| The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) | Circa 1920 |
| Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) | 1910s-1930s |
| In the Heart of the Sea (2015) | 1820s |
| Anthropoid (2016) | 1940s |
| Dunkirk (2017) | 1940s |
| Oppenheimer (2023) | 1940-1950s |
| Small Things Like These (2024) | 1980s |
Cillian Murphy Is Making Smart Choices After Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy’s Options Have Never Been More Open, And He’s Still Signing On To Interesting Movies
After winning an Academy Award for a movie that grossed nearly $1 billion, Cillian Murphy likely has more opportunities coming his way than ever before. While no one would shame him for taking a big paycheck to play a major franchise role, he’s sticking to the films he enjoys making, telling compelling stories with rich, real-world themes. Murphy knows he has nothing to prove and is signing on for movies where he’ll be in a comfortable environment while still challenging himself as an actor.
The Peaky Blinders and 28 Years Later movies will likely be Cillian Murphy’s big-ticket commercial installments for the foreseeable future, at least compared to the likes of Small Things Like These and Blood Runs Coal. The former is an Irish production, where he’ll be joined by a talented cast including Emily Watson, Michelle Fairley, and Ciarán Hinds. Blood Runs Coal hasn’t released any other casting info, but the talent involved suggests it could have a decently sized budget. Ultimately, Murphy doesn’t seem to have changed his ways despite recent acclaim and is still just going after roles that interest him.
What We Know About Blood Runs Coal
Blood Runs Coal Has Writers Signed On And A Fascinating Historical Plot
As for Cillian Murphy’s upcoming movie, there’s not much information available so far. Blood Runs Coal will be set in 1960s Pennsylvania, centered around labor union corruption-related murders, the likes of which had drastic effects on American union history. In terms of thematic and aesthetic look, Blood Runs Coal could bear some similarity to Killers of the Flower Moon in examining historical atrocity. The film will also be based on a book of the same name, written by Mark A. Bradley.
Aside from Murphy, Variety only reported a few other names attached to the project. Brothers Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari) and John-Henry Butterworth (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) are attached to write the script. Both screenwriters have worked with filmmakers James Mangold and Doug Liman before, and Jez Butterworth has worked on a movie with Scott Cooper. Any of the three would be intriguing choices to lead the project, which currently has no director.
The Universal Pictures movie was only recently announced and is still in the early stages of development. In addition to starring, Murphy is attached as a producer, a role he’s also taken on with Small Things Like These. Given his increasing notoriety, he’ll likely continue to take a more significant role in his movies behind the scenes. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be developing the projects creatively, but Cillian Murphy can utilize his name and reputation to move things forward behind the scenes.
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