Darren Aronofsky shifts to dark comedy in Caught Stealing

Acclaimed filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, known for psychological dramas like Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, takes a lighter turn with his new film Caught Stealing.

Aronofsky described the project as “first and foremost fun—a movie that for two hours would fully distract and hold your attention, and while you’re at the theater, you have a great time.”

The film is based on Charlie Huston’s novel of the same name, which the director had been eyeing for nearly two decades.

“I was so entertained and pumped by the book when I first read it 18 years ago,” Aronofsky said.

“Then a bunch of time passed, and Charlie tracked me down with an email out of the blue—they now controlled the book and had written a screenplay,” he added.

The movie follows Hank Thompson, played by Austin Butler, a former baseball player turned bartender who is pulled into New York’s criminal underworld after agreeing to take care of his neighbor’s cat.

That neighbor, Russ, is portrayed by actor Matt Smith.

Author Charlie Huston, who adapted the screenplay, said the story was deeply personal.

“I wrote this book way back in 1998, the year the story is set in,” Huston said.

“There’s a ton of my own lived experience in the story’s main character. When Darren Aronofsky reached out to me 18 years ago to say that he was interested in the book, it was super exciting. I loved the idea of Darren taking his visual sensibility and the dynamism of his storytelling and applying it to this story.”

Huston said Aronofsky’s darker style complements the humor and grit of the narrative.

“There’s a lot of humor in the story. It’s great to see him applying his sensibility to it,” Huston said.

“It has a very dark sensibility, and that’s Darren’s wheelhouse. Darren’s work has a deep earnestness to it, and an emotionality that’s very strong and very present. I like that his characters feel so deeply, and they always go on journeys.”

Caught Stealing opens in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 10, promising audiences a gritty yet entertaining ride.