Daniel Day-Lewis is regularly cited as one of the greatest actors of all time. He's the only man with three Best Actor Oscars to his name, and watching him for a single scene, let alone an entire film, is enough to convince one of his greatness. He's the real deal.
He's also spent the better part of a decade retired. Day-Lewis announced that he would be stepping down from the big screen after the release of Phantom Thread in 2017. The actor seemed held to his word, making sparse public appearances but never seemingly taking the bait of filmmakers wanting to lure him back. Until now.
Daniel Day-Lewis is going to make another film. Well, if Daily Mail is to be believed, he's already in the process of making another film. The UK outlet snapped photos of the Oscar winner on what appears to be the set of the upcoming drama Anenome. It will be directed by his son, Ronan Day-Lewis.
Day-Lewis appears to be filming a cameo role
Day-Lewis, famous for his physical transformations, was seen sporting a big mustache and riding a motorcycle in what appeared to be a scene with actor Sean Bean. The production is being conducted in Manchester.
Variety confirmed that Day-Lewis co-wrote the film with his son, which is about the dynamics of "familial bonds." The Oscar winner will spearhead the story, and will be complimented by an array of notable actors, including Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and the aforementioned Bean.
Daniel Day-Lewis' return may be surprising, but the actor has actually pulled similar retirement stunts before. He planned to retire from the big screen in the late 1990s, and actually let a sizable amount of time pass after the release of his 1997 film The Boxer before he considered taking another role.
The actor previously tried (and failed) to retire
It was ultimately director Martin Scorsese who lured him back for 2002's Gangs of New York, which earned yet another Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Day-Lewis actually made headlines as recently as March 2024, when a source close to the actor claimed that he was not enthused by the current state of cinema.
Jim Sheridan, the man who directed Day-Lewis to his first Oscar in 1989's My Left Foot, told Screen Daily that the Irish actor was disappointed with the streaming model that's been adopted by the big studios in recent years.
"I keep talking to him," Sheridan noted. "He’s like everybody else. He opens up the streamers and there’s seven thousand choices, none of them are good. Film has been moved out of the public domain into a private domain."
We're intrigued to see what kind of work Day-Lewis turns in with his son behind the camera.