Daisy Ridley stars as Bryony Tyrell in Killa Bee, a drama about a Southampton intensive care nurse and mother of two who quits her NHS shift to step into the cage, and is fast becoming one of Britain’s preeminent MMA prospects.
Tyrell’s journey began with kickboxing in college, working towards his black belt and making the leap into mixed martial arts. She fought as an amateur until turning professional and collecting multiple belts while balancing family life and the pressures of her ICU job.
Tyrell is more than just a fighter with a real job. With a master’s degree in nursing and a degree in molecular biology, she is a specialist with academic talent to match, and she brought the same precision to her training from the ICU. During the day, she was dealing with high-stakes clinical decisions. Upon leaving the ward, she traded in her scrubs for four-ounce gloves and honed a style based on discipline, endurance, and calm under gunfire. Deadline reported the news, noting that the film depicts the ups and downs of a life torn between a hospital ward and the world of martial arts.
Tyrell commented on Instagram: “So honored and overwhelmed! I can’t believe it’s real!”
The film focuses on double life as a lived reality, with the mind switching from ward protocol to battle focus, family arrangements, and late-night training crammed in between shifts. It’s a portrait of grit across two grueling arenas, where resilience is measured during rounds and in quiet moments after long shifts.
Ridley’s take and team
“Bryony’s story is one of extraordinary courage and resilience,” Ridley said in a statement. “I was deeply moved by her emotional and empowering journey, and I can’t wait to bring her spirit to the screen.”
Killa Bee is written by Ruth Sewell (script editor of the Hulu miniseries Pistol) and directed by Kenton Oxley (Farrah). Produced by Knockout Productions in association with Picture Perfect and Moviehouse Entertainment, the film also includes Lucinda Thakler (Boudica), Mark Venice (Funny Cow) and executive producer Michael Foster.
Tyrell has been involved from the beginning, writing the script in close dialogue with the family and actively consulting. Oxley, a longtime friend since their school days, brings a personal perspective to this story.
Capture will begin global sales ahead of next week’s American Film Market, with production scheduled for Q2 2026. Nathan Wang, the international sales manager who brokered the deal, called the project “highly original, raw, inspired, and ultimately unforgettable.”
Ridley, perhaps best known for her role as Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, recently headlined the action film The Cleaner and starred in the romantic film The Last Resort.
Capture’s recent work includes the crime comedy Riff Raff, the shark thriller Above and Below, and the crime thriller Spring Breakers 2: Salvation Mountain.
This is the Jiu-Jitsu match between Bryony Tyrell and Maria Clara Costa Ribeiro in August.
