Sharper’s First Official Trailer: Sebastian Stan & Julianne Moore Are Mother-Son Hustlers

Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan are a mother-son con duo who target a family of billionaires in the new movie A24 on Apple TV Plus.

Set in New York City, Madeline (Moore) meets billionaire Richard Hobbes, played by John Lithgow, and sets him as her next target, aiming to swindle him out of billions of dollars.

She enlists the help of her disgraced son Max (Stan) to help her steal the money. Max then forms his own angle to the con and uses the billionaire’s son Tom, played by Justice Smith, to pull it off.

As the plan begins to unfold, the lies begin to catch up with the characters, and their ambitions for money and power are potentially overshadowed by lust and jealousy.

The trailer’s opening tag has Richard’s character saying, ‘Let me give you some advice. If you’re going to steal, steal a lot.

Max and a friend arrive at the home of billionaire Hobbes and engage in an elaborate ruse that attempts to extort money from him without arousing suspicion.

Instead, Madeline appears as Richard’s date and reveals that Max is her son who ‘plays these games’.

It then cuts to Richard arriving at his office with Max to find his son Tom waiting for him, but before they can talk, Tom runs out.

Richard then confides in Madeline in his home, saying, ‘I always assumed my son would inherit all of this. He doesn’t have the strength. He’s weak’, as Max listens from the other room.

Madeline and Max’s plans are soon revealed when Max says, “You kinda like him,” and she replies, “Of course I do.” He is a billionaire.

Later in the preview, Sandra, played by Briana Middleton, arrives at a restaurant to meet Max and “celebrate.” She then shows a shot of her picking up a newspaper with a picture of Richard and Madeline together and a picture of Tom below it.

Max then tells him, ‘Roll up your sleeves. Trust me. You can’t fool an honest man, that’s why we never feel sorry for the brand”, while a montage of Sandra tricking Tom into falling for her is produced.

At the end of the preview, the words “Can you read between lies?” they appear on the screen as the characters become more immersed in their plans and lies.

The official description of the film is: No one is what they seem in the bedrooms, bars and boardrooms of New York City. The characters compete for riches and power in a high-stakes game of ambition, greed, lust, and jealousy.

It is directed by Emmy Award winner Benjamin Caron (The Crown, Andor, Sherlock) and is tagged as a neo-noir thriller.

He said PEOPLE that the film is ‘inspired by a long list of great films that love to keep audiences on their toes until the very end, including The Usual Suspects, House of Games, Klute, Drive, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Color of Money, The Sting, and more.’

The film is being produced by Julianne Moore alongside Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Bart Freundlich and writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka. Julia Hammer and Amy Herman serve as executive producers.

Sharper will launch on Apple TV Plus on February 10.

Next, Moore will be in another A24 movie titled When You’re Done Saving the World, which is actor Jesse Eisenberg’s feature film directorial debut.

Stan will soon be starring in the movie Dumb Money, directed by his Pam and Tommy director, Craig Gillespie. The movie is a Wall Street drama about the chaos after GameStop’s stock skyrocketed due to Reddit.

It is produced by Seth Rogen and features a star-studded cast that includes Rogen, Paul Dano, Shailene Woodley, Pete Davidson, Nick Offerman, and Dane DeHaan.

Stan is also set to continue his work with Marvel Studios and reprise his role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the 2024 film Thunderbolts.