Daniel Day-Lewis' Return to Acting is a Win-Win

The film world is jacked to see the big-screen return of one of the literal best to ever do it, Daniel Day-Lewis.

He's coming back to the silver screen after 8 years since his retirement after Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread. But he's not simply coming out of retirement; he's coming out of retirement to star in his son's first feature film, Anemone.

Of course, there's always the risk that he's lending his name to a project that otherwise wouldn't deserve his talents. But I find that the most endearing part of an otherwise very exciting story.

There are a few potential outcomes.

The most hopeful: He's typically fantastic in a genuinely good film. We're all hoping for this one. We want his greatness to be a celebratory moment for him and his son.

The most likely: He's typically fantastic in a largely forgettable film. DDL is a world-class actor, and there's no shame in his son's first directing effort to fall short of his dad's glory.

The unlikely: He's no good in a film that's not very good. This is unlikely because he's such an insanely good actor. He raises the floor of any project in which he participates.

The impossible: He's no good in a stellar film. This is no shade at DDL's son, Ronan Day-Lewis, but it's just not in the cards for him to direct a fantastic film in which his dad is not also fantastic. (Or, more accurately, in which his dad is not the reason the film is fantastic.)

But, at the end of the day, this all sounds like a win-win to me. It's likely that DDL will do everything within his considerable powers to make the role as compelling as possible. If we're insanely lucky, we'll see his brilliance in a brilliant film.

If we're not, we'll see his brilliance in a lackluster film. If things really don't pan out for anybody involved, we'll still have seen a father coming out of retirement for his son, lending his one-of-a-kind talents to the son's project, and showing a big-time love in the process.

I, for one, can't wait to see which it is. The trailer has me intrigued. Bring on October 3 and dear god let it screen somewhere remotely close to me.