Cillian Murphy has landed another thrilling role following his Oscar win earlier this month for portraying famed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
On Monday, it was announced that the 47-year-old Irish actor will star and produce the upcoming film Blood Runs Coal.
The movie, based on the book Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America by Mark A. Bradley, is set in the late 1960s in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, according to Deadline.
It will follow ‘one of the most infamous crimes in the history of organized labor’ and chronicle the life of a coal miner, Jock Yablonski, ‘who advocated for better working conditions with the United Mine Workers after a mine explosion killed his father.’
Cillian Murphy is set to star in his first film since earning an Oscar for portraying famed physicist J Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer; seen on March 10, 2024
Ultimately, Yablonski was killed by Tony Boyle, who was convicted of conspiracy in the 1969 murder of Yablonski and his wife and daughter.
Murphy has been cast as Jock’s surviving son, Chip Yablonski, that ‘made it his life mission to get justice for his father.’
Jez Butterworth and his brother John-Henry Butterworth, who have co-written several screenplays together, including Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Ford v Ferrari (2019), penned the script.
Earlier this week, news broke that Murphy would be returning for the highly-anticipated Peaky Blinders movie.
The star – who played gangster Tommy Shelby in the BBC series which ended in 2022 – will begin shooting later this year with the rest of the cast.
Creator Steven Knight shared the exciting news while speaking to BirminghamWorld at the premiere of his new BBC show This Town last Thursday.
He said: ‘He is definitely returning for it. We’re shooting it in September just down the road in Digbeth.’
The movie is set to begin filming at Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham in September, and will be set during the Second World War.
Just two weeks after taking home his first Academy Award, the 47-year-old Irish actor has been announced to star in the upcoming film titled, Blood Runs Coal
Murphy has been cast as coal miner Jock Yablonski’s surviving son, Chip Yablonski, (seen above in 1970) that ‘made it his life mission to get justice for his father’
Cillian had previously said of the project earlier this year: ‘I have always said that if Knight delivers a script that I know he can deliver, because he is such a phenomenal writer, I’ll be there.
‘If we want to watch 50-year-old Tommy Shelby, I will be there. Let’s do it.’
Fans were thrilled with the news as they wrote in reaction: ‘We are back.. the goat is backkkkkkkk.’,
‘Glad to see him back in the role for the film. Should be good.’,
‘I AM SO EXCITEDDDDD. This news made my day.’,
‘Oh my It’s back.’,
‘This is a must tbh. Wouldn’t be the same without him.’,
‘this gonna be massive.’
After his historic Oscars win for Best Actor for Oppenheimer last month, Cillian said of his character Tommy: ‘I loved playing him. He was exhausting and so wildly different for me that each time going back was kind of a journey.
Earlier this week, news broke that Murphy would be returning for the highly-anticipated Peaky Blinders movie
‘I’m really not sentimental about work. I feel like the next thing is the most exciting thing. And I mean, it was a ten-year period in my life, so it is significant, but I always feel, like, let’s keep moving.’
He previously said he would be happy to reprise his role.
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, he admitted he was ‘relieved’ when the BBC drama ended in 2022 – but is now ‘totally’ on board with a movie adaptation.
Murphy also hinted that the program’s writer, Steven Knight, had more stories to tell about the Birmingham-based Shelby clan and their criminal activities between the 1880s and 1910s.
Peaky Blinders launched in 2013 and garnered huge audiences both in Britain and overseas, attracting roles for silver-screen stars such as Tom Hardy and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Cillian was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Oppenheimer at the 96th Academy Awards in March.
In his speech Cillian told the star-studded room that he was ‘a very proud Irishman standing here tonight’ before dedicating his win to ‘peacemakers everywhere’.
Fans watching hailed him a ‘true gentleman’ for his ‘heartfelt’ words as he signed off with a nod to his Irish heritage.
‘Go raibh míle maith agaibh,’ he added, which translates to ‘a thousand thank yous’.
Speaking in the press room after picking up his statuette, Murphy told journalists: ‘I’m in a little bit of a daze, I’m very overwhelmed. I’m very humbled. I’m very grateful and you know, very proud to be Irish standing here today.
‘It’s really really meaningful to me. I don’t know if I said this in my speech, because I can’t remember what I said.’
‘I did want to say that I think in Ireland we are really great at supporting artists and I think we need to continue to support artists and the next generation of actors and directors. I think that’s vitally important. That’s all I have to say.’
When asked if he is ‘content’ about being remembered for his role as atomic bomb scientist J Robert Oppenheimer in the movie, the actor replied: ‘Very content. I mean, you got to move forward, but this has been a huge, huge moment for me.
‘The movie is so special to me, and myself and [director] Chris [Nolan] have such a special relationship.’
‘And I just feel very privileged to be able to continue to work with him and I’m very proud that this is a film that is provocative, and that asks questions, and is challenging, but yet so many people went to see it, so I’m really really proud of it.’
Cillian added of his relationship with director Christopher Nolan: ‘It’s very very special. We have been working together for 20 years. I think he’s the perfect director, he’s an extraordinary writer, he’s an extraordinary director of actors.
‘He presents this film like no one else does in the world, and I just can’t believe my luck. I did a screentest for him when I was a kid, and I thought that would be it and it would just be enough to be in a room with Chris for a couple of hours, and here we are. So, I’m just so humble and thankful.’
When asked if he is ‘content’ about being remembered for his role as atomic bomb scientist J Robert Oppenheimer in the movie, the actor replied: ‘Very content. I mean, you got to move forward, but this has been a huge, huge moment for me.
The actor was previously best known for his role as the northern gangster in the BBC drama, but has since received acclaim for his performance in Oppenheimer (pictured at the Oscars)
Speaking in the press room after picking up his statuette, Murphy told journalists: ‘I’m in a little bit of a daze, I’m very overwhelmed. I’m very humbled. I’m very grateful and you know, very proud to be Irish standing here today
‘The movie is so special to me, and myself and [director] Chris [Nolan] have such a special relationship.’
‘And I just feel very privileged to be able to continue to work with him and I’m very proud that this is a film that is provocative, and that asks questions, and is challenging, but yet so many people went to see it, so I’m really really proud of it.’
Cillian added of his relationship with director Christopher Nolan: ‘It’s very very special. We have been working together for 20 years. I think he’s the perfect director, he’s an extraordinary writer, he’s an extraordinary director of actors.
‘He presents this film like no one else does in the world, and I just can’t believe my luck. I did a screentest for him when I was a kid, and I thought that would be it and it would just be enough to be in a room with Chris for a couple of hours, and here we are. So, I’m just so humble and thankful.’