Tobey Maguire's role in director Damien Chazelle's new film Babylon has finally been revealed. Chazelle wowed audiences with his directorial debut drama Whiplash about an abusive teacher and a devoted student. He followed that up with 2016's musical love-letter to Hollywood with La La Land. The Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling-led romance was a box office hit and garnered an Oscar win for Chazelle for Best Director, the youngest person to ever win the award. His next film First Man, about Neil Armstrong's journey to the moon, was beloved by critics but failed to resonate with audiences.
Chazelle looks to bounce back to the top of the box office and onto the Academy ballot with his new film Babylon, a period drama set during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the late 1920s, when sound first made its debut in motion pictures. Babylon has cast of many of the film industry's top stars. Brad Pitt has been cast as John Gilbert, one of the biggest stars of the silent film era who failed to transition into talkies when sound became the dominant draw at the theater. Margot Robbie stars as Clara Bow, the iconic sex symbol of the "roaring twenties" that starred in such classic films as Mantrap (1926) and Wings (1927). The Social Network's Max Minghella, son of famed director Anthony Minghella, will star as Irving G. Thalberg, a major film producer of the era that helped create MGM studios. Spike Jonze, Samara Weaving, and Olivia Wilde round out Babylon's expansive cast.
Per Variety, Maguire's role in Chazelle's upcoming Hollywood historical drama Babylon has finally been revealed. Originally announced to have joined the film in June 2021, his role remained under wraps until recently. Maguire will play legendary silent comedic actor Charlie Chaplin. Famous for his slapstick humor, Chaplin produced some of the most iconic work from the era such as The Immigrant, Easy Street, Gold Rush, and The Great Dictator.
Maguire will have a big role to fill with his recent casting as "The Tramp," a nickname given to the vagrant character Chaplin created and popularized in many of his films. Chaplin's work is still shown repeatedly on television today and is readily available for streaming through various services such as HBO Max. The popularity of Chaplin and his extensive library work sets expectations high for Maguire in the upcoming period piece.
The Spider-Man star will not only have to live up to the legacy created by Chaplin but also to the award-winning performance by Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. in the 1992 Richard Attenborough directed biopic Chaplin. Downey received universal critical acclaim for his work, garnering an Academy Award nomination and winning the BAFTA for the role. Although the pressure is high for Maguire's undertaking in the upcoming film Babylon, the actor has more than proven himself through his long impressive body of work.
Source: Variety