Netflix’s upcoming film Joy is based on the real-life story of the world’s first IFV baby.
The film was directed by Ben Taylor, also known for Sex Education, as he worked on one of the series episodes. The screenplay is done by Jack Thorne and his wife, Rachel Mason.
“Set in the 1960s and 1970s, the story follows a nurse (McKenzie), a visionary scientist (Norton), and an innovative surgeon (Nighy) as they work to develop the first ‘test tube baby’.”
Netflix has released the first look of the film on Monday. The first teaser trailer gives us the first look at the film’s three central characters.
Purdy addresses a room of women and says, “Without you, none of this works.”
Three British pioneers, one vision. Here’s your first look at Joy, a new film based on the story of the birth of IVF. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton and Bill Nighy.
Netflix
Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey produce joy from the UK’s Wildgaze production company, while Cameron McCracken serves as the executive producer for Pathe.
Jamie Cairney serves as cinematographer on the project, and Lucy Bevan and Olivia Grant handle casting.
The release date of the film has not yet been revealed, but it is expected to be released sometime this year.
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Joy Update (2026)
Updated August 2026. Netflix’s “Joy,” dramatizing the real story behind the world’s first IVF baby, released in November 2024 to generally positive reviews. Critics praised Bill Nighy’s performance as fertility pioneer Patrick Steptoe, calling it a highlight that kept the film’s warm, true-story tone from tipping into over-sentimentality, alongside co-stars Thomasin McKenzie and James Norton. The film remains available to stream and is frequently cited as one of Netflix’s stronger biographical dramas from that period.
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