The first trailer is out for Damien Chazelle's Old Hollywood period piece Babylon, giving audiences their first look at the varied cast of characters on the rise in the film industry. With the backdrop of a changing entertainment landscape as silent films give way to talkies, the film takes a broad look at the chaos that ensues as actors, directors, and more scramble to adapt to the new environment. As the trailer indicates, it's a dive into the wild lives of said creatives and the city and industry they are intertwined with.
The trailer is buzzing with life and jazz, as Robbie's Hollywood hopeful snorts coke, gets drunk, and causes mayhem with Pitt's Hollywood star. It's an unbelievably wild interpretation of a Hollywood of yesteryear and an undeniably fun trip.
Babylon wrapped filming back in October 2021 and by all accounts, this project was a massive undertaking for Chazelle and his cast. Bryan Mendoza, one of the crew members on the production, called it one of the harder films he'd been a part of. It's been a long time coming for Chazelle who said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that he's been sitting on the idea ever since he moved to Los Angeles around 15 years ago. He finally got the chance to put pen to paper on the project after completing The First Man back in 2018 with the goal of crafting a love letter to the formative years of modern-day Hollywood. In the years since his move, he's managed to establish himself as a filmmaker with critical darlings Whiplash and La La Land, thus paving the way for his wide-reaching Old Hollywood tale.
To play all the Hollywood stars of old, Chazelle has a large ensemble packed with plenty of modern-day stars to fill in. The film boasts a cast including Olivia Wilde, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, Samara Weaving, Jean Smart, Li Jun Li, Jovan Adepo, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Lukas Haas, Rory Scovel, P.J. Byrne, Spike Jonze, Chloe Fineman, Jeff Garlin, and Max Minghella. At one point, Emma Stone was also slated to star opposite Pitt, though a scheduling conflict paved the way for Robbie to enter the picture. Thanks to its many larger-than-life characters and the overall scope of the film, Babylon comes in with a hearty current runtime of three hours and five minutes.
Babylon is due for a limited release in theaters courtesy of Paramount on December 25 before releasing fully nationwide on January 6, 2023. Check out the trailer below for a look at the massive scope of Chazelle's film.