(Updated 09/20/2022)
Hollywood! It’s basically a small town that happens to be famous throughout the world. It's a symbol of big dreams, glittering art, and lavish lifestyles. Even if you’ve never been there it feels like a place everyone knows, if only because it's where all the movies come from. While that’s not technically true (independent cinema comes from all over, and don’t forget foreign films, and hey, even Marvel makes movies in Atlanta!) it fits in well with Hollywood’s whole "it’s showbiz!" vibe.
And it's not a slam to say that no one loves Hollywood as much as Hollywood loves Hollywood. The town simply cannot get enough of all the old Hollywood legends and icons. Maybe you’ve noticed how movies that focus on Hollywood and filmmaking tend to be big award contenders, too. It makes sense. Even Hollywood folks like seeing themselves on the big screen.
This brings us to BABYLON, a new Hollywood film all about Hollywood, starring a couple of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Let’s learn a little bit more about what’s in store for us this Christmas season when BABYLON comes to town.
When Does Babylon Come Out?
The movie's release date is a doozy. BABYLON will hit theaters on December 23, 2022. That’s right, just before Christmas Day.
That release date tells you a lot about what BABYLON has in store. Paramount Pictures likely sees BABYLON as an awards player. There's no question that this one will be a conversation starter.
Watch The First Babylon Trailer
Note: The footage above has flashes of brief nudity and drug use.
The first BABYLON trailer is embedded above. As the movie's title suggests, it shows a world of rampant decadence and indulgence.
What Is Babylon About?
That’s the big question. Not a whole lot is currently known about BABYLON’s plot. It’s a bit of a mystery.
So what do we know for sure? There are a few things. For one, it will be about old Hollywood. Specifically, it is set in the time during which Hollywood transitioned from the silent era into the "talkies" we know and love today. (That's the same era seen in movies like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN.) This was a period of upheaval for Hollywood’s power players, so look out for that as a big plot catalyst.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, writer/director Damien Chazelle said, "Everything is shifting underneath people’s feet and I became really fascinated by the human cost of disruption at that magnitude, at a time when there was no road map, when everything was just new and wild."
Who Stars in Babylon?
More like, who isn’t in BABYLON? This is a movie brimming with famous actors. Just off the top, it stars Brad Pitt (who recently dipped into a different transitional period in movie history with ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) and Margot Robbie (I, TONYA, and Pitt's co-star in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD).
Much of the early word about BABYLON turned out to be incorrect, including the roles played by Pitt and Robbie. Most importantly, while the events of the movie are inspired by real life, it seems like the major roles are all fictional people.
Pitt plays silent movie star Jack Conrad, who claims to have made Hollywood into a place actors can thrive, and who is now navigating the transition from silent movies to talkies. The character was inspired by actors such as John Gilbert, Clark Gable, and Douglas Fairbanks.
Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy, a recent newcomer to Los Angeles who finds overnight fame. Touchstones for the creation of this character were stars like Clara Bow, Jeanne Eagels, Joan Crawford, and Alma Rubens.
And newcomer Diego Calva plays Manny Torres, a Mexican immigrant who acts as the audience surrogate, bringing us into the movie's world just as he is drawn in.
But that’s just the beginning. Tobey Maguire (SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME) appears. Katherine Waterston (ALIEN: COVENANT), Olivia Wilde (TRON: LEGACY), Samara Weaving (BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC), Eric Roberts ("The Righteous Gemstones"), Jean Smart ("Watchmen"), Spike Jonze (THREE KINGS), and Flea, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, are in the cast, too. And Max Minghella plays the one real character: studio boss Irving Thalberg.
Who Made Babylon?
Just as exciting as the cast is the film’s writer and director. This is the much-anticipated new movie from LA LA LAND and WHIPLASH director Damien Chazelle. Does that mean it’ll probably have a lot of great music in it? Yes! And it will be gorgeous to look at as well.
We'll have more news about BABYLON soon!
All images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.