Austin Butler: The Regrowth

Austin Butler showed up back in December at SFFILM with a shaved head, presumably for an upcoming role, though we don’t yet know what specifically that role is. 

He spent last fall shooting Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing though and it’s possible that the hairstyle was for that film, perhaps in future or throwback sequences since the movie has a crime element to it and, I dunno, maybe his character ends up or was in prison at some point. 

You know what happens on social media these days, though, when a male celebrity shaves his head there’s often speculation about whether or not it’s a sign of a hair transplant. Austin was papped this weekend after dinner with friends in LA, the hair has now grown back and to me it looks the way it always has which is… hot.

Austin’s been pretty quiet for the better part of a year, since the release of Dune last February and Bikeriders last summer. Doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy though, it’s probably because he’s been so busy. Austin Butler is booked. He has at least six projects in development, and it’s a wide ranging slate from the (arguably unnecessary) American Psycho remake with Luca Guadagnino to the Heat prequel or sequel with Michael Mann and also a rom-com called Deep Cuts, based on Holly Brickley’s book, co-staring Saoirse Ronan. This is the one I’m most anticipating because I f-cking love a rom-com but also because so much of Austin’s work has been so Serious. And it’s good to know that he considers romance to be Serious too, and worthy of his time and talent.

In the immediate though, Austin has not only Caught Stealing but he’s also part of Ari Aster’s Eddington ensemble, an A24 film, led by Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix. Eddington is heading to Cannes next month, it’ll be one of the most high-profile premieres. A teaser was released last week and Austin shows up in a scene that’s giving… cult leader? Conspiracy theorist? Russell Brand?