‘Retired’ star Michael Caine reportedly set for Netflix comeback

A legendary British star is set to make a return to the small screen after previously confirming his decision to retire for good.

British actor Michael Caine poses on the red carpet for the world premiere of King of Thieves in central London on September 12, 2018. Picture: Anthony Harvey/AFP

Legendary British actor Michael Caine is set to make a surprising comeback months after announcing his decision to retire for good.

The actor, 90, said in October that he was stepping away from his career following the release of his movie The Great Escaper.

British actor Michael Caine is reportedly coming out of retirement. Picture: Anthony Harvey/AFP.

However, the star appears to have already gone back on his word if new reports are to be believed.

According to The Sun, Caine has joined a show which will begin filming next month. An insider said: “He’s been asked to star in a Netflix series. Details are kept closely guarded.”

In his most recent film, The Great Escaper, which was released at the start of October, he plays real-life World War Two veteran Bernie Jordan who escaped from a care home to attend D-Day celebrations in France. The iconic screen legend explained that he had turned the film down three times before accepting the role as he already considered himself retired from filmmaking.

Caine later went on to tell Today he had also turned down a role after filming the movie.

“I was sent a script actually, and I looked at it, and then I did something I’ve never done before. I counted how many pages I had, compared to the number of pages in the script,” he said. “The role he was offered included 15 pages of dialogue in a 99-page script, he said. “I thought, I think that counts as a small part, I’m not doing it. So I retired … I thought, I’m ahead here, I may do a little part and get a bad review … so I thought, why not leave now? So I’ve left.”

Caine had previously shared that he was giving up acting for good. Picture: EPA/Claudio Onorati

“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” the actor told the BBC in October.

“I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and had incredible reviews … What am I going to do that will beat this?”

Caine added that the lessened chances of landing new roles due to his age played a part in his decision.

“The only parts I’m liable to get now are 90-year-old men. Or maybe 85,” he continued.

“They’re not going to be the lead. You don’t have leading men at 90, you’re going to have young handsome boys and girls. So I thought, I might as well leave with all this.”

Caine’s acting career goes back to the 1950s when he made his movie debut on the set of A Hill in Korea.

He went on to earn himself six Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Hannahand Her Sisters and 1999 for The Cider House Rules.