Premiere - Caught Stealing : Darren Aronofsky, Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz Premiere the Crime Thriller in Paris

By Mulder, Paris, Max Linder Panorama, 21 august 2025

Some premieres stand out not only for the films being shown, but also for the energy and personality that permeate the evening. The Paris premiere of Caught Stealing at the Max Linder Panorama on August 21, 2025, was one such rare event. Organized by Sony Pictures Releasing France, the evening began with a warm welcome for a visibly eager audience. Even before the film began, a lively discussion was moderated by Joe Hume, who guided a lively but relaxed exchange with director Darren Aronofsky and actors Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz. Their ten-minute discussion struck the perfect balance between the seriousness of the craft and lighthearted anecdotes that revealed the passion that went into adapting Charlie Huston's book for the screen. Being able to hear directly from members of the creative team before the film began gave the premiere a rare intimacy for such a high-profile release.

Caught Stealing's journey to the screen is a modern Hollywood legend in itself. Announced over a decade ago with a completely different creative team, the project seemed at one point like it would never make it out of development. In 2013, David Hayter was working on a version with Patrick Wilson in the lead role, but the adaptation never came to fruition. When Sony Pictures revived the project in March 2024, the announcement that Charlie Huston would adapt his own novel, with Darren Aronofsky directing and Austin Butler in the lead role, immediately raised expectations sky high. The casting announcements that followed—Zoë Kravitz and Regina King in as-yet-unknown roles, then Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Bad Bunny (under his real name, Benito A. Martínez Ocasio), Vincent D'Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, and the legendary Carol Kane—only confirmed that this project was one of the most ambitious crime thrillers of recent years. What's more, the choice of English post-punk band Idles to compose the soundtrack added a raw and unconventional touch, heralding a film that refuses to bow to the rules of the genre.

The story at the heart of Caught Stealing is deceptively simple, which makes the ensuing chaos all the more captivating. Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson, a former baseball prodigy whose glory days are long behind him. Once famous, he now works as a bartender in a seedy New York bar, clinging to small joys: a girlfriend he adores and a baseball team that seems improbably poised for a miraculous comeback. But when a neighbor entrusts him with the mundane task of looking after a cat, Hank finds himself plunged into a violent world of gangsters, betrayal, and mounting threats he never saw coming. The genius of Charlie Huston's storytelling, which Darren Aronofsky translates with cinematic urgency, lies in the way he forces an ordinary man to tap into extraordinary reserves of resilience, survival instinct, and, at times, pure luck.

What made the Paris premiere particularly memorable was not only the film itself, but the way the evening was designed to celebrate cinema as a collective experience. Our media team was lucky enough to cover the event up close, and credit must go to our talented professional photographer Fanny Ruffer Lanche, whose lens captured the atmosphere outside the Max Linder Panorama with precision and flair. Watching Darren Aronofsky, Austin Butler, and Zoë Kravitz interact, it was clear that this was not just another stop on the world tour, but a genuine moment of shared pride and accomplishment.

The French premiere also echoed the film's premiere in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, on August 7, 2025, which had its own cultural significance. Held just a few miles from Bad Bunny's musical residence, this premiere was as much a celebration of Puerto Rican talent and influence as it was of the film itself. Presenting Caught Stealing in Paris, in one of Europe's most prestigious cinemas, was a powerful reminder of how stories can connect different worlds, from the Caribbean to New York to the heart of France.

This universality reflects the very DNA of the film: a New York story that nevertheless resonates with anyone who has ever found themselves swept up in circumstances far greater than they could have imagined. As the lights dimmed in the Max Linder Panorama theater and the rousing music of Idles set the tone, the audience seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

The screening was like a collective dive into Darren Aronofsky's dark and stylized universe, and when the credits rolled, it was clear that the film had made a strong impression. The Parisian audience reacted with enthusiasm matching the intensity of the film, a fitting response to a story that never lets its protagonist—or the viewer—catch their breath. With its official release in France scheduled for August 27, 2025, just two days before its US release, Caught Stealing is shaping up to be not only one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year, but also a cinematic highlight for viewers eager to be shaken, surprised, and completely immersed.

You can discover our photos in Flickr here and here

Synopsis : 
Hank Thompson was a baseball prodigy in high school, but now he can't play anymore. Other than that, everything is fine. He's dating a great girl, he's a bartender at night in a seedy bar in New York, and his favorite team, which everyone has written off, is making an unlikely comeback to win the title. When Russ, his punk neighbor, asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank has no idea he's about to find himself caught up in a motley crew of dangerous gangsters. Now they're all after Hank, and he doesn't even know why. As he tries to escape their clutches, Hank must summon all his energy and stay alive long enough to figure it out.

Caught Stealing
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Written by Charlie Huston
Based on Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston
Produced by Jeremy Dawson, Dylan Goldeno, Ari Handel, Darren Aronofsky
Starring  Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, Carol Kane
Cinematography : Matthew Libatique
Edited by Andrew Weisblum
Music by Idles
Production companies : Columbia Pictures, Protozoa Pictures
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date : August 29, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 107 minutes

Photos (outside) : ©fannyrlphotography / Mulderville
Photos (inside) : Boris Colletier / Mulderville
Video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville