Austin Butler Reunites with Sony to Portray a Crime Boss in Film Adaptation of Don Winslow's 'City on Fire'

by Darian Scalamoni

    Coming off his critical acclaim and Golden Globe win for his role as Elvis Presley, Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) will star in City on Fire, which he'll also produce. The news comes per Deadline, as the crime film will adapt Don Winslow's novel of the same name.

    City on Fire is the first book in a trilogy series, and due to his quick rise to stardom, Sony is hoping to have Butler lead all three films starting from the ground up, creating a property that is rich for adaptation. The book is said to take elements of classic Greek tragedies and put them in an environment of modern crime, following two crime families, one Irish, one Italian that have control of New England. City on Fire was released in April 2022, with the second novel titled, City of Dreams due to release on April 18.

    Butler will play the main character within the story named Danny Ryan, who is obligated to grow up rather quickly from just a street level enforcer into a merciless crime boss. He intends to protect all of his loved ones as well as his home whilst battling against whatever force is in his way; whether it be the opposing Mafia, police and the FBI, he intends to build a legacy and foundation around his leadership. Sony is currently reaching out to writers and filmmakers to helm the movie. 

    Winslow, the author of the series, was fundamental in getting Butler cast as Danny Ryan, particularly eyeing him after seeing his Oscar-nominated turn in Elvis. Butler has since been very active in negotiations and bringing the story to screen, helping to shape it into a Godfather-esque story that will solidify him in the role for decades to come. 

    Butler already has a number of high-profile gigs on the docket to come. He'll play the villain within Dune: Part Two joining Denis Villeneuve's awaited follow-up to the Sci-Fi epic of 2020. He'll join an ensemble that is rich with talent and includes Timothee Chalemet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin and Christopher Walken in the film that arrives in November of this year. He also just wrapped filming on Jeff Nichols motorcycle drama, The Bikeriders which also stars Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer. 

    Additionally, Butler will lead the assortment of WWII tales that began with Band of Brothers and The Pacific for HBO starring in the limited series, Masters of the Air for AppleTV+. He's joined by other young stars Barry Keoghan, Callum Turner and Anthony Boyle in the aerial bomber series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks while being directed by a multitude of talented filmmakers such as Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees and Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.