Netflix Sets Release for Berger-Farrell Thriller

Netflix will release 'Ballad of a Small Player,' a psychological thriller directed by Oscar-winner Edward Berger and starring Colin Farrell as Lord Doyle, a high-stakes British gambler hiding out in Macau as his debts and past catch up with him. Adapted by Rowan Joffe from Lawrence Osborne's 2014 novel, the film also features Fala Chen, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings, and Tilda Swinton. The story follows Doyle as he encounters a mysterious kindred spirit who could be central to his redemption, set in the atmospheric world of Asian gambling. The movie will premiere in select U.S. theaters on October 15 and in the UK and Ireland on October 17, before debuting globally on Netflix on October 29, 2025. Filming took place in Macau and Hong Kong in mid-2024. This is Berger's first film under his new first-look deal with Netflix, following his Oscar success with 'All Quiet on the Western Front.'