Keke Palmer Leads a Crew of Colorful Crooks in Stunning New 'I Love Boosters' Image [Exclusive]

3 weeks ago 15

Published Mar 5, 2026, 6:00 PM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

Guard your fashion stores, because the Velvet Gang is about to strike. Acclaimed musician-turned-writer-director Boots Riley of Sorry to Bother You and I'm a Virgo fame returns to theaters in just two months with his wild, much-anticipated new crime comedy, I Love Boosters. Before that, however, his sophomore feature is set to get a special spotlight at SXSW, opening the annual film festival's 40th edition on March 12 with a boundary-pushing bang. With just one week left until its world premiere, we're excited to include the film as part of Collider's Spring Exclusive Preview series for upcoming movie and television titles and share a new image highlighting Keke Palmer and her colorful crew of boosters.

I Love Boosters brings a bright, vintage aesthetic as it follows a crew of professional shoplifters known as the Velvet Gang. Together, they set out to "empty out every single metro designer in the Bay Area," primarily targeting one ruthless fashion maven by the name of Christie Smith (Demi Moore). As they say in the trailer, "it's like community service," as they resell high-end fashion at a discounted price and make a name for themselves doing it. The film is instantly recognizable for its colorful and creative outfits worn by just about everyone in the movie. Our image shows the Velvet Gang at their most vibrant, covered head-to-toe in multi-layered getups that include fur coats, stylish skirts, massive boots, and more accessories.

Like the members of the Velvet Gang, the cast is dressed to the nines with a killer collection of stars in just Riley's second feature. Palmer is a fitting lead for the crime comedy, coming off the riotous One of Them Days with SZA last year and, more recently, Peacock's new take on The 'Burbs. She and Moore are joined by Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, and Don Cheadle, with LaKeith Stanfield also reuniting with Riley after playing the lead of Sorry to Bother You. There's much more to the film than its initial premise gives away, too. In an interview with Collider's Perri Nemiroff last year, González teased a sci-fi element to the heist and spoke to both the fashionability and the hilarity of the director and cast as they fired on all cylinders:

"By the way, he's so excited about our movie. He was so sweet about you, and vice versa. He's the best, man. He's just, like, the most creative human being and kind, and he would walk in with the best fashion. I have a strict rule of only working with fashionable directors, and it's been living up. And that cast. There was a day where Will Poulter was there, who, by the way, is incredible in his new movie, and Keke, who could have me in stitches 24 over seven, and Naomi and Taylour Paige and Poppy, and then Demi was incredible in it, and LaKeith. It is just deliciously and utterly Boots Riley at its absolute finest."

'I Love Boosters' Continues a Busy Year for Palmer

NEON will distribute I Love Boosters in the U.S., in the middle of what's shaping up as an incredible year for the indie banner between the megahit comedy Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie and exciting upcoming projects like the acclaimed horror game adaptation Exit 8 and Damien McCarthy's much-anticipated Oddity follow-up, Hokum, starring Adam Scott. For Palmer, the film is also part of a loaded personal schedule. After The 'Burbs became one of Peacock's biggest series premieres ever, she's next set to return to the big screen this December with The Angry Birds Movie 3, a full seven years after the last animated installment. 2027 will also see her join the long-awaited Spaceballs 2, after production began on the Mel Brooks sequel back in September.

The heist begins when I Love Boosters hits theaters on May 22, after a world premiere opening at SXSW on March 12. Check out our exclusive image above and check out more exciting new teases from Collider's spring preview event now.