Ahead of its release in theaters and on VOD this month, we have an exclusive clip to premiere from the new action-thriller 9 Bullets. The film stars Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) in the lead as a former burlesque dancer on the run from a local crime boss, who also just happens to be her boyfriend (Sam Worthington, Avatar). Our clip picks up with her character and a friend unearthing a bag of stashed cash from a burial plot in the cemetery with the hopes of giving herself a fresh start, but unfortunately for them, they aren't alone. You can watch the video below.

Gigi Gaston (Rip It Off) wrote and directed 9 Bullets. Along with Headey and Worthington, the movie also stars Dean Scott Vasquez (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Cam Gigandet (The Magnificent Seven, Twilight), Martin Sensmeier (Westworld), and Barbara Hershey (Black Swan). You can read the official synopsis for the film below.

"A former burlesque dancer turned author (Lena Headey) discovers a second chance at life and redemption when she risks everything to rescue her young neighbor after he witnesses his parents' murder. Now on the run from the local crime boss (Sam Worthington), who happens to be her longtime ex, she makes a desperate attempt to get the boy to safety."

Related: These Are Lena Headey's Best Performances, Ranked

9 Bullets Is Inspired By Real-Life Burlesque Legend Gypsy Rose Lee

Lena Headey 9 Bullets
Screen Media

9 Bullets take some elements from real life, as its story was partly inspired by legendary burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. Famously, her 1957 memoir, Gypsy, was adapted into a stage musical in 1959 with lyrics from Stephen Sondheim. 9 Bullets writer-director Gigi Gaston personally knew Lee, and it was this relationship that helped inspire the story of this new film. As Gaston explained, she also hopes this new story about empowering women is a fitting tribute to Lee.

"The story was very much influenced by my relationship with Gypsy Rose Lee as a young girl. She would tell me ‘see this’ and point to her body – ‘this is what all the men see, but what’s really important is what’s in between my ears,’ and then she would point to her brain! She said ‘never forget that, never forget what is between your ears,’" Gaston said, per Collider. "Once Gypsy Rose Lee wrote a book, her whole life changed and people looked at her in a different way."

Gaston added, "I do however think she was very respected as a burlesque dancer: she would fill rooms of 5,000 and 10,000 seat theaters and never take off her clothes - it just was down to the wire! A pin could drop in those theaters! Now that’s major power to me as a female. My intent is that this movie comes off as empowering women!”

9 Bullets is set to premiere in theaters and on-demand on April 22, 2022. Along with our exclusive clip above, you can catch another peek at the movie by watching its official trailer below.