Daniel Day-Lewis comeback film ‘Anemone’ sparks “nepo baby” debate as trailer reveals dark family drama

Highlights:

• First trailer for Anemone shows Daniel Day-Lewis returning to screen after eight years
• The family drama is directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis and co-stars Sean Bean and Samantha Morton
• The film premieres at the New York Film Festival in September before releasing in cinemas on 3 October
• Produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Focus Features, the film explores fractured family ties and past trauma

Daniel Day-Lewis has officially ended his eight-year retirement with the release of the Anemone trailer, marking his long-awaited screen comeback. The three-time Oscar winner last appeared in Phantom Thread (2017), after which he announced he would no longer act. With Anemone, directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis, he returns in a brooding family drama set in Northern England that also features Sean Bean and Samantha Morton.

Daniel Day-Lewis returns to the big screen in Anemone after eight years Getty Images/Instagram/anemonemovie

What is Daniel Day-Lewis’s Anemone about?

Anemone tells the story of two estranged brothers haunted by their past. Sean Bean plays Jem Stoker, a suburban man who ventures into the woods to reconnect with his reclusive sibling Ray, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis. The official synopsis describes their bond as “fraught, if occasionally tender,” shaped by shattering events decades earlier.

The trailer teases bleak landscapes, stormy coastlines and shadowy interiors, hinting at deeper conflict rooted in political and personal violence. Irish flags flash across the screen, suggesting the brothers’ involvement in British paramilitary activity during Northern Ireland’s Troubles.

Who is behind Daniel Day-Lewis’s comeback film?

The project is especially personal for the actor as it is directed by his 27-year-old son Ronan Day-Lewis. Father and son co-wrote the screenplay, making it the younger Day-Lewis’s feature debut after previously working as a painter and short filmmaker.

Anemone has been produced by Brad Pitt’s production house Plan B and distributed by Focus Features. The supporting cast includes Samantha Morton, Samuel Bottomley and Safia Oakley-Green, with cinematography by Ben Fordesman.

The father–son collaboration of Daniel and Ronan Day-Lewis in AnemoneGetty Images

Why is Anemone being called a “nepo baby film”?

Some commentators online have dubbed Anemone the “ultimate nepo baby film” because it marks Ronan Day-Lewis’s directorial debut with his father in the lead role. The term has become a buzzword in Hollywood for children of celebrities working in the industry. However, early reactions to the trailer suggest Ronan’s feature debut is more than just a family connection, with its sombre tone and layered storytelling drawing attention in its own right.

When will Anemone be released?

Anemone will premiere at the New York Film Festival, which runs from 26 September to 13 October 2025. Focus Features has confirmed the drama will open in select US cinemas on 3 October, before expanding nationwide on 10 October. UK and European release dates are expected to follow.

Given Daniel Day-Lewis’s reputation as one of the greatest screen actors of his generation, the film is already generating major awards season buzz.

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Why did Daniel Day-Lewis retire from acting?

Day-Lewis shocked Hollywood in 2017 when he declared he would quit acting after completing Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. At the time, he issued a statement saying he felt “overwhelmed by a sense of sadness” during filming and wanted to step away from the profession for good.

It was not his first hiatus. After starring in The Boxer in 1997, Day-Lewis temporarily left cinema to train as a shoemaker in Italy before returning in 2002 with Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. His decision to appear in Anemone raises the question of whether this is a one-time return or a full re-entry into acting.

Daniel Day-Lewis stars in son’s directorial debut Anemone premiering in New YorkGetty Images

What makes Daniel Day-Lewis’s comeback significant?

Regarded as one of the finest performers in film history, Daniel Day-Lewis has won three Academy Awards for Best Actor, for My Left Foot (1989), There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012). His meticulous method acting and selective filmography have given each of his roles a sense of event cinema.

The fact that his return comes through a collaboration with his son adds another layer of intrigue. While some have jokingly labelled it the “ultimate nepo baby film,” early reactions to the trailer suggest a serious, atmospheric piece focused on grief, reconciliation and redemption.

After eight years, Daniel Day-Lewis makes acting comeback in AnemoneGetty Images

With Anemone, audiences will see whether Daniel Day-Lewis, now 68, still commands the screen with the same intensity that made him a legend.