Is The Great Escaper Michael Caine’s last film? What has 90 year old star said, will he be in more movies

Michael Caine is one of Britain’s most prolific actors, appearing in some of the most iconic movies of the last 60 years, but he could be about to retire.

Caine stars as Bernard Jordan, a Royal Navy veteran who ‘escaped’ from his Sussex care home to attend a D-Day commemoration in France, in upcoming filmThe Great Escaper.

His Great Escaper co-star Glenda Jackson, sadly passed away this year, aged 87, before the film’s release.

Caine, now aged 90, has barely slowed down - The Great Escaper will be his fourth film in three years. But, as he was spotted using a walking stick at the premiere, and with his recent tongue in cheek statements like 'I worry if I'm gonna make it to lunch’, it looks like Caine might not have many more films left in him.

How many films has Michael Caine starred in?

Caine has appeared in more than 150 films over his career, a truly staggering amount, and we won’t list them all here. His first credited role was as soldier in 1956 Korean War film A Hill in Korea - Caine was actually a veteran of the conflict so the role may not have tested his acting chops all too much.

In the more than six decades since, Caine has starred in many now classic films - his breakout role was as Gonville Bromhead in 1964 war film Zulu, this was followed by the role of spy Harry Palmer in the Len Deighton Cold War movies, and in 1969, he took on what remains one of his most iconic roles, thief Charlie Croker in The Italian Job.

Then it was Get Carter, the North East set gangster film that is one of the best of the genre. He then appeared in The Eagle Has Landed, Escape to Victory, Educating Rita, and Jaws: The Revenge, a terrible sequel for which he was paid $1.5 million for seven days work - he used the money to buy his mum a house.

After a run of fairly forgettable movies in the 90s, broken only by The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Cider House Rules, Caine returned to form with the role of butler Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. He appeared in several other Nolan films including The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar, and Tenet.

Other relatively recent hits include his roles in Harry Brown, Now You See Me and its sequel, and Kingsman: The Secret Service. His last film before The Great Escaper was Medieval, an historical drama in which he played imperial advisor Lord Boresh.

Is The Great Escaper Michael Caine’s last film?

No, although it has been reported that Caine plans to retire after The Great Escape, that’s not quite right. The same has been said after revenge flick Harry Brown and the 2021 comedy Best Sellers, and yet Caine has continued to return in front of the camera.

Speaking to the Guardian in September, Caine said that he will be appearing in another film where he will play Charles Darwin, and that he will retire after that. Although when pressed he added that he wasn’t sure if he would quit acting even then. 

What new films will Michael Caine be in?

Not much is known about the Charles Darwin film, other than that it is expected to begin production in January 2024. If Caine is playing the naturalist himself then it is likely to mark one final leading role for the star.

Additionally, Caine is set to reprise his role of Arthur Tressler in the third Now You See Me film, alongside Dave Franco. The film is reportedly in pre-production and a release date is unknown.