The rate at which La La Land writer/director Damien Chazelle is snapping up castmembers for his next film, Babylon, it's looking like there will be a few weeks this year where almost everyone in the industry is involved. And unlike certain other films, we're at least finding out about the additions in batches instead of daily drip feeds. Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Tobey Maguire and Phoebe Tonkin are just the latest names attached.
Babylon is set in the late 1920s and will explore the disruptive period in moviemaking where the industry transitioned from silent films to talkies, the story following multiple characters whose fortunes rise and fall. Deadline has heard it described as "The Great Gatsby on steroids."
Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Diego Calva Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Katherine Waterston have the lead roles, with (deep breath) Max Minghella, Lukas Haas, Flea, Rory Scovel, Samara Weaving, Eric Roberts, PJ Byrne and Damon Gupton all part of the ensemble. Chazelle clearly has the word "eclectic" on a giant sign above his casting board. The filmmaker is looking to start the cameras rolling next week in Los Angeles, with Paramount planning a December 2022 awards release and a January 2023 wider slot.