After years of development, Darren Aronofsky’s long-gestating crime film “Caught Stealing” is finally set to hit theaters this summer, and Austin Butler is front and center in what could be one of the more crowd-pleasing entries in the director’s filmography.
A trailer has been released for the film.
Based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 novel of the same name, “Caught Stealing” casts Butler as Hank Thompson, a former high school baseball star whose life takes a sharp turn when a seemingly harmless favor—taking care of a neighbor’s cat—drops him straight into a chaotic underworld of mobsters, stolen loot, and increasingly dangerous entanglements.
The film is set in the 1990s Lower East Side, and Aronofsky shot on location in New York during fall 2024 with his longtime cinematographer Matthew Libatique. The supporting cast is stacked: Zoë Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Carol Kane, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, Matt Smith, and Regina King all feature in what sounds like a true genre ensemble.
The project has been in development for over 15 years. Aronofsky told Vanity Fair that after the emotionally heavy “The Whale,” he was drawn to something more fun, something that leaned into pure entertainment. That perspective seems to align with Huston’s original trilogy, of which “Caught Stealing” is the first entry. The two follow-ups—“Six Bad Things” and “A Dangerous Man” —could be on the table if this one lands with audiences.
Aronofsky’s last feature, “The Whale,” was released in 2022 to generally favorable reviews and earned Brendan Fraser the Academy Award for Best Actor. Despite its small $3M budget, the film managed an impressive $54M worldwide, marking a solid commercial showing.
That said, I didn’t connect with “The Whale” —a feeling I’ve had before with some of Aronofsky’s more polarizing work, including “Noah” and “The Fountain. “” Still, his place in contemporary cinema remains secure, largely thanks to the brilliance of “The Wrestler,” “Black Swan,” and “Requiem for a Dream” —films that continue to showcase his undeniable talent when he’s at his best.
Sony Pictures will release “Caught Stealing” in theaters on August 29.