Aronofsky returns with acid thriller
A former baseball player, a bat, Russian gangsters… Darren Aronofsky makes his return to the thriller genre with Caught Stealing, a brutal, hallucinatory thriller adapted from Charlie Huston‘s cult novel. With its wild battles and urban paranoia, the film promises to be a cinematic bomb.
Austin Butler in a survivor’s role
Set to hit theaters on August 27, 2025, Caught Stealing stars Hank Thompson, an ex-baseball player turned bartender in the Lower East Side of the ’90s. One night, he finds himself at the center of a mafia spiral after being beaten up by two Russians in tracksuits. On screen, Austin Butler – propelled to worldwide stardom with Elvis – plays this borderline character. And according to the first images revealed at CinemaCon, he’s unrecognizable, raging and magnetic.
Gangster pop and daring casting
But it’s the XXL cast that’s already flying off the radar. Zoë Kravitz, more stylish than ever, returns to acting after directing Blink Twice. Regina King, Oscar-winning and powerful, Matt Smith transformed into a rainbow-crested punk… and above all Bad Bunny, reconverted into a hallucinated gangster, all seem to be playing the excess card. The mix of genres (and talents) gives the film the feel of a visual and aural trip, somewhere between Requiem for a Dream and Snatch on steroids.
Cannes 2025 in your sights?
According to IndieWire, Caught Stealing could well join the official selection of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. A grand return for Aronofsky, 25 years after presenting his masterpiece Requiem for a Dream. The verdict? On April 10, when the official announcement is made.
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