Damien Chazelle has quickly returned with the new trailer, ‘Babylon‘. Things are quite unfair as looking at everything he has accomplished at only 37, it’s completely reasonable. Chazelle’s breakthrough film Whiplash got a bonafide hit when it debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, landing five Academy Award nominations and three wins, including Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons. Chazelle’s follow-up, La La Land brought him into the mainstream.
This Christmas, Chazelle will be stepping back into the director’s chair for the period drama Babylon, a film with a massive cast that could very well follow in the footsteps of his first two films, and we’ve put together a handy guide to everything you need to know about the award-winning filmmaker’s next project.
Babylon: Plot
Babylon will be set in 1920s Hollywood during the transition from silent films to talkies and much like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Licorice Pizza will be blending together fictional characters with real-life figures. The film will revolve around an ensemble of characters, some of who find success in the transition while others struggle to keep their career afloat.
From Damien Chazelle, Babylon is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Babylon: Trailer
The first official trailer for Babylon has launched on the web on September 12, 2022, a day after premiering at an event at the Toronto International Film Festival. The trailer promises that Babylon will be a chaotic and wild ride, like a cross between The Great Gatsby and The Wolf of Wall Street.
A 35-second spot for the film was released on November 14, 2022. In behind-the-scenes featurette was released on November 21 hinting at the film’s plot and giving us a sneak peek at some of the film’s extravagant set pieces. It also includes clips of stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jovan Adepo, Diego Calva, Tobey Maguire, Jean Smart, Li Jun Li, and writer and director Damien Chazelle talking about the film.
The final trailer for Babylon was released on November 28, 2022. Set to the David Bowie classic “Fame,” the trailer looks to be playing up the film’s more comedic elements while also focusing on how Diego Calva’s Manny fits into the film’s story.
Babylon: Cast
We are going to see Academy Award Winner Brad Pitt will be starring in the film as a character named Jack Conrad. Pitt’s character is fictional but is based on John Gilbert, a major silent film star in the 20s who struggled to make the transition into talkies. Pitt recently headlined Sony’s all-star action flick Bullet Train from director David Leitch. He also shared the screen with Sandra Bullock with his brief but memorable role in the adventure rom-com The Lost City.
Joining Pitt will be Academy Award Nominee Margot Robbie as a character named Nellie LaRoy, which is said to be heavily inspired by it-girl Clara Bow who flourished during the talkie phase. Since her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street, Robbie has shot into superstardom, landing two Oscar nominations for her roles in I, Tonya, and Bombshell. She also notably starred as the iconic DC Comics character Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. Robbie recently was one of the stars of the period mystery comedy Amsterdam, where she acted opposite an A-list cast.
The relative newcomer Diego Calva who recently appeared in the third and final season of the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico will play the third leading role, a character named Manny Torres. While his name may not be well-known now, Babylon will surely propel him into becoming one of the hottest names in town.
Other stars who are on board Babylon include Quantico star Li Jun Li as Lady Fay Zhu. Emmy Nominee Jovan Adepo who broke out with films and shows such as Watchmen, Fences, When They See Us and Overlord will also be appearing as Sidney Palmer. Five-time Emmy Award Winner Jean Smart is on board to play Elinor St. John, Smart has been having a career resurgence as of recently having won two Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmys in a role for her role as Deborah Vance in Hacks.
Former Spider-Man Tobey Maguire also stars as the character of James McKay. Max Minghella, who is known for his role in The Handmaid’s Tale, will play real-life film producer Irving Thalberg.
Samara Weaving, Katherine Waterston, Olivia Wilde, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Spike Jonze, Chloe Fineman, Lukas Haas, Rory Scovel, Eric Roberts, P.J. Byrne, Damon Gupton, Phoebe Tonkin, Troy Metcalf, and Telvin Griffin also star in the film.
Babylon: Production Status
Babylon began filming on July 1, 2021, under strict COVID-19 protocols after initially being scheduled to film in mid-2020. Filming eventually wrapped on October 21, 2021. Filming predominately took place in the Los Angeles area. The film will mark Chazelle’s most expensive project to date with a budget of around $78 million.
Babylon: Release Date
We don’t have too long of a wait for Babylon as Paramount has announced that the film will now have a wide release on December 23, 2022. It was previously announced that the film would have a limited release on December 25, 2022, before expanding on January 6, 2023.
Here is the trailer:
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