Damien Chazelle's BABYLON

BABYLON

Studio: PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Prod Co: Marc Platt Productions, Material Pictures

Dates: July 2020

Location: LA

Budget: $75M

Execs: Studio Executive: Alex Jackson

Writer (Current): Damien Chazelle

Ex-Producer: Helen Estabrook, Adam Siegel

Producer: Marc Platt, Olivia Hamilton, Matt Plouffe, Tobey Maguire

Director: Damien Chazelle

Casting Director: Francine Maisler

Cast: Talent: Emma Stone [CLARA BOW: Negotiation], Meryl Streep [ELINOR GLYN: Interested In], Brad Pitt [JACK CONRAD: Negotiation], Michael B Jordan [SIDNEY PALMER: Interested In], Tobey Maguire [IRVING THALBERG: Interested In]

Logline: Set in 1920s Hollywood and follows the rise and fall of various real and fictional characters as the film industry transitions into the sound era of talkies.

Roles:

[CLARA BOW]
Lead Female (25 - 30)
Crazily mussed hair, thick Brooklyn accent - and a spitfire energy. A dynamo with a chip on her shoulder the size of Gibraltar and a hunger that will never let up. She is introduced arriving to Don Brady's party by smashing her car into a statue. She demands your full attention. Ambitious and fearless, she just moved to LA with absolutely no doubt that she was born a star. As JANE THORNTON is dragged to the hospital for overdosing, BOB LEVINE replaces Jane with Clara for a film shooting the next day. She is wildly talented and becomes the must for filmmaker, RUTH AZNER. As her star rises, she begins to build a scandalous reputation for promiscuity and drug use. ELINOR GLYN is tasked to help refine Clara to a more of a "lady", but the attempt fails. As the industry moves into "talkies" Clara's becomes insecure at the sound of her thick Brooklyn accent and her poor reading skills. She ends up relying on MANNY TORRES who rises the ranks as a big Hollywood studio exec, as he is madly in love with her. Clara eventually goes broke thru gambling, and she ends up owing $80K in debt to Casino owner/gangster JACK MACKAY. After Manny's plan to help bail her out goes terribly wrong, the two go on the lam together to Mexico. She eventually slips away into the dark, never to be seen by Manny again. REAL PERSON.
Negotiation Emma Stone

[MANNY]
Lead Male (22 - 29) Hispanic / Latino
Manny is an earnest and ambitious young man who scores a job working for Hollywood mega producer, Donald Brady. He is responsible, empathetic, hard-working and kind. His dream is to work in the film industry so he will take any job necessary to make that happen, albeit he is constantly reminded of his status as a person of color. He meets a young aspiring actress, CLARA BOW, at the party and he falls in love with her beauty and moxie. Over the course of the evening, Manny is tasked to bring Hollywood superstar, JACK CONRAD, back to his house as he is too drunk to drive. Jack takes a shine to Manny and hires him to be his assistant. He eventually climbs thru the film executive ranks during the sound-to-talkie transition and becomes "Sound Chief" at Kinoscope, the leading studio in talkie productions. Manny unfortunately becomes a power hungry/Machiavellian executive, who is fiercely loyal to Clara Bow despite her toxic behavior. He tries to help Clara by borrowing a massive sum of cash to bail her out of debt with gangster Casino owner, JAMES MACKAY, but the plan goes terribly wrong when the cash he brings turns out to be fake. He tries to go on the lam with Clara but she ghosts him, never to be seen again. He is eventually caught by James' associates and nearly dies. We jump 20 years to 1952, where he is now worn and aged. Its s clear he has been in hiding for several years and hasn't seen a film since he left town. We close the film on Manny's emotional reaction to SINGIN IN THE RAIN. FICTIONAL.

[JACK CONRAD]
Lead Male (50) White
Described as being "50 but ageless." A man for whom all life is a game - or a giant movie set. Think 70s Jack Nicholson crossed with Mastroianni at peak cool with Jagger-like charisma. The ultimate gentleman with a dash of Wonka playfulness and a Mad Hatter crazy. He floats through life like magic because he's afraid of ever touching the ground. He arrives to Don's party wearing sunglasses hiding his eyes and a white orchid in his jacket pocket and a cigarette in his hand. "The atoms stop" when he enters. He hires MANNY TORRES that evening to be his on set assistant. Although he is a raging alcoholic, he is able to light up the screen every time the cameras roll. He is very excited for where the future of cinema is headed, transitioning from silent-to talkies, but is soon deflated as he is unable to survive as a star during the transition, and is replaced by younger talent like, Clark Cable. After two flops and tabloid articles from ELINOR GLYN, he begins to face the reality that his star is dimming. About of week into shooting a new film, he commits suicide. This character is likely inspired by actor, John Gilbert. FICTIONAL
Negotiation Brad Pitt

[ANNA MAY WONG]
Supporting Female (30 - 40) Asian
Impossibly elegant and tall. Introduced wearing a dress of embroidered silk and her hair studded with plum blossoms. You do not mess with her. She is the star act of the night, with the orchestra band (including SIDNEY PALMER) backing her up. The crowd goes wild for her. Her music is very raunchy and provocative. During her performance she goes to a couple and kisses the woman sensually. She sings with a fake Chinese accent, as a way to play into the exotic reputation she's established. She is a bi-sexual woman who over the course of her career, is romantically linked to CLARA BOW, PAUL BERN, Sand others throughout the story. REAL PERSON

[ELINOR GLYN]
Supporting Female (60 - 70) White
Shabby dentures and absurdly phony eyelashes. Fake red fair and a faux British accent and a purple chiffon veil hiding a recent face-lift. "Hollywood's dowager duchess." Lost her dog and Manny is tasked with finding it. Famous screenwriter, author and gossip columnist who popularized the concept of "It -girl" and launched Clara Bow into super stardom along with many others. She is conniving and eventually stabs JACK CONRAD in the back by writing gossip articles about the decline of his career. REAL PERSON.
Interested In Meryl Streep

[SIDNEY PALMER]
Supporting Male (20 - 30) Black
He is an incredibly talented and hot-headed trumpeter who is part of all Black brass band. He is an alcoholic and drug addict, often using with ANNA MAY WONG post shows. He falls in love with ZORA, a beautiful Black author, who inspires him to get clean and grow up. He eventually becomes very wealthy in Hollywood when MANNY TORRES contracts him as talent at Kinoscope. He quits after Manny asks him to apply black-face makeup in order to appear "more Black" on screen. Feels loosely inspired by Louis Armstrong. FICTIONAL.
Interested In Michael B Jordan

[ZORA]
Supporting Female (30 - 40) Black
She is introduced at The Basket Club as being poised and dressed to the nines. SIDNEY PALMER spots her during his performance and falls in love with her. She is incredibly sharp and has a no-nonsense attitude. Sidney eventually wins her over and gives up his life of drugs and alcohol. Zora is a writer and is influential in SIDNEY becoming aware of him being complicit with racist Hollywood. Presumably, as assume her character is inspired by Zora Neale Hurston. FICTIONAL.

[DON BRADY]
Supporting Male (50 - 60) White
While debauchery is happening at his party, he was spending most his time with a psychic in his basement reading a Ouiji board. He is excited to show just a few guests the first ever talking picture. Don becomes a pioneer of the talking picture and helps launch the career of CLARA BOW. FICTIONAL.

[ESTELLE]
Supporting Female (20 - 30) White
Stunningly beautiful stage actress that JACK CONRAD marries. She has a Trans-Atlantic accent. Estelle is very judgmental of Jack, and chips away at his confidence as he tries to survive during the sound-to-talkie transition. They eventually get divorced. FICTIONAL.

[RUTH AZNER]
Supporting Female (30 - 45) White
No-nonsense and very aggressive film director who helps launch CLARA BOW's career. Like so many stars and executives during the silent-to-talkie transition, she commits suicide. Feels loosely inspired by Dorothy Arzner. FICTIONAL.

[IRVING THALBERG]
Supporting Male (30 - 40) White
Irving is a very powerful studio executive who runs production for MGM. He is reserved, intense and brilliant. "A Boy wonder." He is one of the only people that can survive the transition from silent-to-talkies, and eventually replaces JACK CONRAD with new star, CLARK GABLE. REAL PERSON.
Interested In Tobey Maguire

[ROBERT BOW]
Supporting Male (50 - 60) White
Paunchy with a cigarette dangling from his lip. Clara Bow's father. Not very supportive and guilts Clara. He doesn't work. He is a failed singer and resentful of Clara. Never impressed by her and is a free loader. He is also her business manager and is one of the many reasons she goes broke. REAL PERSON.

[THE COUNT]
Supporting Male (30 - 40) White
Introduced on set wearing a cape, selling "peanuts" which is code for on-set drugs. He is a white-collar drug dealer to the stars and is tasked by MANNY to help get $80K In cash to help bail out CLARA BOW from debt with gangster casino owner, JAMES MACKAY. This plan goes terribly wrong when The Count brings fake money to the meeting. FICTIONAL.