By the Gun is a crime drama following Ben Barnes (Dorian Gray) as the young Bostonian Nick Tortano, who while making his way through the ranks of the Italian mafia is forced to question his beliefs and loyalties after entering into a relationship with Leighton Meester’s (The Roommate) Ali Matazano. The film also stars Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs) as the mafia’s kingpin. Directed by James Mottern (Trucker), with a screenplay by first-time writer Emilio Mauro, the film will be released on December 5 in theaters and VOD later this year.

This is the first starring role for Barnes since 2009’s Dorian Gray. For Meester, this will be a slight departure from her more recent lighthearted film fare such as The Oranges or That’s My Boy. Since her career-making role as Blair Waldorf in the Gossip Girl series ended in 2012, she has yet to make a similar impact in the film world. In addition to possibly delivering something new to the gangster crime genre, hopefully By the Gun will allow both actors need to establish themselves as leads. In the meantime, Barnes will act alongside Julianne Moore (The Kids are Alright) and Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski) in the adventure film Seventh Son, while Meester now appears opposite Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) in The Judge and will take on a new starring role (and sexual orientation) in Life Partners, out November 6.