
Forget Westeros — Austin Butler has traded Valyrian steel for neon jackets and boom boxes. In the brand-new trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s long-awaited crime thriller Hustle , the former Prince of Dragonstone goes full 90s NYC punk.
And if you’re thinking, “Wait — isn’t that Matt Smith’s old role?”… well, you’re not wrong. But this time, it’s Butler who’s getting caught up in a wild world of thieves, punks, and chaos.
The film follows Hank Thompson (Butler), a washed-up high school baseball prodigy turned New York barman. He may be past his prime on the field, but life seems to be going okay — he’s got a great girlfriend (played by Zoë Kravitz), a cool job at a downtown club, and his favorite team is making a playoff run.

Of course, everything changes when his eccentric punk-rock neighbor, Rus (a shockingly gritty Matt Smith), asks him to look after his cat while he’s away.
That’s right. A cat-sitting favor gone wildly wrong.
Suddenly, Hank finds himself neck-deep in a tangled web of gangsters, shady deals, and cryptic motives. Everyone wants something from him, but no one’s telling him why. Now he has to stay alive long enough to find out what the hell is really going on.
Directed by Requiem for a Dream legend Darren Aronofsky, Hustle is based on Charlie Huston’s novel of the same name — and truthfully, Aronofsky has been trying to make this movie for over 15 years. In an interview with Vanity Fair , the director said:
“I felt like there was so much tension in regular life already. I thought — Hollywood does entertainment better than anyone. I looked at my projects and realized — the most exciting one is Charlie Huston’s script.”
In the trailer, we see Matt Smith shedding his silver House of the Dragon hair for a dyed-green mohawk and punk leather jacket. It’s a bold transformation — and fans are already loving it. Meanwhile, Zoë Kravitz brings both style and edge to her role as Hank’s girlfriend and grounding force.
The supporting cast reads like a Who’s Who of cool: Bad Bunny and Action Bronson bring street cred to the soundtracks, Regina King adds serious dramatic weight, and Ving Rhames, Liev Schreiber, and Griffin Dunne round out the gritty line-up.
For fans of Butler, this is just another step in a massive year — fresh off Dune: Part Two and Netflix’s The Gentlemen , he’s proving he can do anything . And while House of the Dragon Season 3 might still be cooking, don’t worry — Matt Smith is very much alive and thriving… just in a radically different way.
Mark your calendars: Hustle hits theaters on August 29 , and trust us — you won’t want to miss this ride.
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