With an A-list cast and a story depicting debauchery and depravity, first reactions to the movie have been mixed, but that is likely to be part of its allure once it hits theaters. Here’s everything to know about the Babylon movie, including the Babylon cast, release date, trailers and more.
When is the Babylon movie release date?
Babylon will have a limited theatrical release on December 23, 2022, before opening wide on Jan. 6, 2023.
Who is in the Babylon movie cast?
The cast of Babylon is particularly star-studded, with Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva in leading roles. Several A-listers are also credited with as-yet-undisclosed roles, including Olivia Wilde, Eric Roberts, Samara Weaving, Phoebe Tonkin, Katherine Waterston, Lewis Tan and Spike Jonze.
Brad Pitt as Jack Conrad
Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in Babylon. “It was a very visceral read,” he said of the script at a Q&A with the Screen Actors Guild. “It’s extreme, it’s big, it’s bawdy, and at the same time underneath it there’s just real heart and need for meaning.” Paramount Pictures Jack Conrad is largely based on the actor John Gilbert, a silent-film star who struggled with the transition to movies with sound—also commonly called “talkies.”
Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy
Margot Robbie stars as fledgling actress Nellie LaRoy. At a Q&A for the Screen Actors Guild on November 16, Robbie said of the role, “I can’t tell you how out on a limb I felt. You just have to fully commit and throw yourself into it. And you can do that when you have a director that you trust so much.” Paramount Pictures She also reportedly tried a lot of different voices before settling on her perfect New Jersey accent for the role. The character draws inspiration from a variety of stars from the time, including Clara Bow.
Jean Smart as Elinor St. John
Jean Smart stars as Elinor St. John. The Hacks star reportedly plays a reporter that can make or break careers. Paramount Pictures
Diego Calva as Manny Torres
Diego Calva plays film assistant Manny Torres. In a featurette for the film, director Damien Chazelle described the character as the audience’s eyes and ears to guide them through the story. Paramount Pictures
Jovan Adepo as Sidney Palmer
Jovan Adepo, who previously starred in the Oscar-winning Fences film adaptation, Watchmen, When They See Us, The Stand, The Leftovers and World War II horror-action thriller Overlord, plays Sidney Palmer in Babylon. Paramount Pictures
Tobey Maguire as James McKay
Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in Babylon. “It shows a side of Hollywood beyond what you could’ve imagined,” he said in a YouTube featurette promoting the film. Paramount Pictures
Li Jun Li as Lady Fay Zhu
Li Jun Li appears Lady Fay Zhu. In a featurette released on YouTube, she described the movie as a unique cinema experience and said it was “truly amazing.” You may recognize her from Evil, Quantico, The Exorcist TV series and Chicago P.D. Paramount Pictures
Flea as Bob Levine
Max Minghella as Irving Thalberg
Jeff Garlin as Don Wallach
Lukas Haas as George Munn
Olivia Hamilton as Ruth Adler
Rory Scovel as The Count
Jennifer Grant as Mildred Yates
Sarah Ramos as Harriet Rothschild
John Kerry as John Rothschild
Troy Metcalf as Orville Pickwick
Ana Dahl as Ava
Anna Chazelle as Bobbie Hart
What is the movie Babylon about?
The film tells the stories of multiple characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent films to movies with sound. The story will showcase the decadence of early Hollywood and will tell the rise and fall of various players in the industry. The official synopsis reads, “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.”
Is there a Babylon trailer?
Babylon’s first teaser trailer premiered in September 2022. It begins with Margot Robbie’s character Nellie LaRoy snorting cocaine as Diego Calva’s Manny Torres looks on; Nellie discusses what she wants to do with her life and how she would spend her money. It then shows Brad Pitt’s character Jack Conrad talking about how he’s changed Hollywood and how he plans to further change it. There’s a lot of hedonism, and the trailer ends with Nellie LaRoy offering to fight a snake at a party, with Jack Conrad cheering her on. You can watch the full teaser trailer below, but be warned that it is NSFW! A full trailer for Babylon finally dropped on Nov. 28, 2022. In it, we see a lot of the same scenes and setups from the teaser trailer, but with additions: We get a glimpse of Samara Weaving’s character, an actress accusing Nellie LaRoy of icing her nipples to steal her scenes; Nellie meets with studio execs over “morals” and cries in a bathroom, saying she’s a disappointment. We also see that when Jack Conrad falls off of his balcony, he safely lands in his swimming pool.
How long is the movie Babylon?
Babylon reportedly has a runtime of over three hours. The exact runtime is 188 minutes—meaning if you see it in a theater, you may want to make sure to go to the bathroom during the trailers so you don’t miss any of the action!
Is Babylon based on a true story?
Babylon is a work of fiction. That said, many of its characters are based on real-life people and combinations thereof, with Jack Conrad’s inspiration being Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks and John Gilbert; Nellie LaRoy is a melting pot of Joan Crawford, Jeanne Eagels and Clara Bow.
When was Babylon filmed?
Babylon was filmed in Los Angeles starting in July 2021. Filming wrapped that October. The movie was supposed to shoot in 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will Babylon be rated R?
Babylon is indeed rated R. There is a lot of hard language and drug use, as well as some sex, nudity and violence, depicted in the movie, making it a relatively easy call for the MPAA.
Where can I watch the movie Babylon (2022)?
Babylon is going to premiere in theaters on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, before opening wide in the first week of January 2023. As of now, it does not have a streaming release date set, although it is likely to end up on Paramount+. Next, check out the 100 best movies of all time, ranked.
