Babylon is an upcoming period drama directed by Damien Chazelle. The film will be Chazelle’s fourth feature film, which will be released four years after his latest film, First Man. Damien Chazelle’s directing career began with Whiplash, after which he made his dream project La La Land. Chazelle became the youngest person to win Best Director at the Academy Awards for La La Land. He then made First Man, a biographical drama based on the life of Neil Armstrong. However, the film didn’t receive the same popularity as Chazelle’s previous works. He, therefore, moved to television and directed two episodes of Eddy, a Netflix miniseries. Since then, he has been working on his period drama, Babylon.
Premise
Babylon will be set a hundred years back, in the late 1920s. This will put the film in the Golden Age of Hollywood, which began in the 1910s and lasted till the 1960s. Films transitioned from silent films to sound at this time, and Babylon will portray the rise and fall of several real and fictional characters of that era. The film has been described as The Great Gatsby on steroids, which is also set in The Roaring Twenties. Similar to Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, the film will present a fictional retelling of a real historical change. Though it is unknown whether it will feature a fictional ending like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
Cast of Babylon
Babylon casts include Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie as its primary leads. Their roles in the film are quite similar to their roles in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which also bears several similarities to this project. Brad Pitt will play a fictional character who fails to adapt to the introduction of the new sound technology. Actor-director, John Gilbert, has been cited as the inspiration for the character. Margot Robbie will play Clara Bow, the leading sex symbol of the 1920s and popularly known as The It Girl.
The actor Tobey Maguire, who serves as an executive producer in the film, will appear in a supporting role. This will be his first live-action role in eight years. Also, Li Jun Li will play Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood star, with several other stars attached in unannounced roles.
Production Status and Release Date
Lionsgate was set to acquire the project when it was announced back in 2019, with Brad Pitt and Emma Stone as their choices for the primary leads. Paramount acquired the film in November 2019, with Brad Pitt announcing his involvement in January 2020. By December 2020, Emma Stone exited the project. Margot Robbie replaced her, with her role being confirmed in March 2021. On 21st October 2021, a crew member tweeted the picture of a clapperboard with the names of Damien Chazelle and Linus Sandgren, Babylon‘s cinematographer. This confirmed the wrapping of Babylon‘s filming.
Paramount has given Babylon a limited theatrical release of 25th December 2022. The limited release is an Oscar-friendly release. The film will receive a full release on 6 January 2023, with the film being released overseas.
