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EXCLUSIVE: After strong start to 2024 with _Masters of the Air _and _Dune Part 2, _Oscar-nominee Austin Butler is looking to build on that success and is teaming up with another

Oscar-nominated director. Sources tell Deadline Butler is set to star in Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky’s (_The Whale, Black Swan_) crime thriller _Caught Stealing_ for Sony

Pictures. The studio recently landed the package which is based on the book by Charlie Huston. The script will be written by Huston with Protozoa producing. “I am excited to be teaming up

with my old friends at Sony Pictures to bring Charlie’s adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride to life. I can’t wait to start working with Austin and my family of NYC filmmakers,” said

Aronofsky. Written by and based on the books by Huston, _Caught Stealing_ follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for

survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ‘90s NYC. WATCH ON DEADLINE “Darren is one of the most brilliant audiovisual storytellers in the world, and adapting these wonderful books by

Charlie Huston for Austin to star was too exciting an opportunity to not be a part of,” said Sanford Panitch, President of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. The project keeps ties strong

not only between Butler and the studio, who first broke out in _Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood _and also has Don Winslow’s _City On Fire _in development, but builds on the relationship

between Sony Production President Sanford Panitch and Aronofsky, who have had a longstanding relationship for many years. After his Oscar-nominated star-making performance as the King of

Rock N Roll in 2022’s _Elvis, _Butler stormed back in a big way with the _Band of Brothers _sequel, _Masters of Air, _bowing in January to huge numbers. He followed that up with his

scene-stealing role as _Dune Part 2 _supervillain Feyd Ratha. That film has been one of the biggest films of 2024 so far bringing nearly $600 million at the global box-office so far. After a

month and a half of press for both projects, Butler had been considering several options and per usual was drawn to the opportunity to work with another A-list director after working with

Baz Luhrman and Denis Villeneuve. Next up for Butler is the Focus Features pic _The_ _Bike Riders._ Best known for his dark dramas like _Requiem For a Dream _and _Black Swan, _Aronofsky has

earned a reputation for getting the most out of his actors with Mickey Rourke getting nominated for his perf in _The Wrestler _and Natalie Portman and most recently Brendan Fraser winning

Oscars for their perfs in _Black Swan _and _The Whale._ Using unprecedented technology, Aronofsky also recently directed the first ever experience for MSG’s Sphere in Las Vegas, entitled

Postcard From Earth. Huston is the author of thirteen novels, including Catchpenny, which will be published on April 9, 2024, , Sleepless, The Shotgun Rule, and Already Dead. He has

developed original TV projects for HBO, FX, FOX, Sony, MAX, and Tomorrow Studios. His scripted podcast Trashfire! is being produced by Atomic Monster for Audible. Protozoa is headed by

Darren Aronofsky and his partner, Ari Handel. Their past film credits include Aronofsky’s π, _Requiem For A Dream_, _The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah_, and _mother!;_ as well as

Tobias Lindholm’s _The Good Nurse_, Pablo Larrain’s _Jackie_, Lance Oppenheim’s _Some Kind Of Heaven_, Josef Kobuta Wladyka’s _Catch The Fair One_, and Alex Pritz’s documentary _The

Territory_. Most recently, they produced Aronofsky’s _The Whale_ which debuted at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. Their groundbreaking experience _Postcard From Earth_ opened MSG’s Sphere in

Las Vegas last year. Their recent TV credits include _One Strange Rock, Welcome To Earth_ and S1 of _Limitless_, for Nat Geo, along with _Kindred_ for FX and _Black Gold _for Paramount+.

Upcoming will be S2 of _Limitless_, _Pole To Pole_ and _Sentient _For Nat Geo.  Aronofsky is repped by CAA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Butler is repped by

WME, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Huston is repped by Katz Golden Lerner and Writers House. Aronofsky joins a list of acclaimed and award winning filmmakers who are

currently working with Sony Pictures, including Sam Mendes, who is directing and producing the story of The Beatles with four distinct theatrical feature films; Taika Waititi, who is

currently filming _Klara and the Sun_; Danny Boyle, who is directing _28 Years Later; _and Kogonada, who is directing _A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, _which is due to start later this Spring

as well as Jason Reitman, who is currently shooting _SNL 1975_.