First Images from the New Darren Aronofsky Film "Caught Stealing"

Three years after his acclaimed film "The Whale", director Darren Aronofsky is back with a star-studded crime comedy. First images for "Caught Stealing" have now been published via Vanity Fair!

The story revolves around a classic unlucky guy: Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson, a washed-up ex-baseball player who keeps his head above water as a bartender. When he accepts the favor of looking after the cat of his eccentric neighbor – played by "House of the Dragon" star Matt Smith – he suddenly finds himself targeted by the underworld. What follows is an absurd chase through New York, which in 1998 was still analog, dirty and unpredictable.

This unpredictability became apparent during the shoot itself: a production assistant was peed on by a naked woman on a fire escape in the middle of a scene – an event that Aronofsky drily comments as "violent". For him, the incident was almost proof that he had authentically captured the spirit of the East Village:

"It's just filled with oddballs, this movie. And that's kind of my experience and why I love the East Village so much."

The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Charlie Huston, who also wrote the screenplay. The story was originally set in 2000, but Aronofsky turned it back two years to recapture the atmosphere of the late 90s – including the Twin Towers, pre-9/11 paranoia and a city where you could still go underground in dark corners.

In addition to Austin Butler, known for "Dune: Part 2" or "Elvis", we will also get to see Zoë Kravitz as the soft-spoken paramedic and love interest Yvonne. Regina King, on the other hand, embodies an NYPD policewoman who urgently warns Hank of the seriousness of his situation. Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio are on the side of the villains as orthodox Jewish brothers who are equally versed in the Bible and baseball bats.

Music star Bad Bunny aka Benito Ocasio rounds off the cast as a Puerto Rican man who shoots around frantically – his mere presence led to logistical nightmares during filming. "Hide the Benito" became a common saying on set, including secret tunnels and escape routes through the East Village.

Aronofsky compares the vibe of "Caught Stealing" to Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" – a movie about a well-behaved young man who slips into an increasingly bizarre underworld in a single night. This is exactly the feeling that "Caught Stealing" aims to convey: a protagonist who suddenly finds himself staggering between punks, mafiosi, crazy freaks and false trails – never knowing whether the next laugh or the next punch is waiting.

For the celebrated director, the film was also a personal endeavor. After the emotional "The Whale", he longed for something "funny" – not in the classic sense, but in his very own style: dark, absurd and infused with black humor.

"I was really upset that I couldn't figure out what was next. And I kind of had this urge to do something fun."

Butler, who had wanted to work with Aronofsky for a long time, agreed immediately:

"As the years went on, then I dug into every one of his films and always wanted to work with him. And so when we met, I remember having this moment of: That's actually Darren Aronofsky!"

"Caught Stealing" will be released in cinemas on August 29, 2025, but until then we can look forward to a first trailer, which certainly won't be too long in coming.