After “Babylon” bombed in theaters in late 2022, many wondered what the future would hold for director Damien Chazelle, if he had any future in Hollywood left. Well, sorry to disappoint, Chazelle haters: his “poison pen letter” to Tinsel Town didn’t oust him from the industry after all, and he’s ready to make his sixth feature over at Paramount.
READ MORE: Damien Chazelle Says After ‘Babylon’ Flop, He Won’t Get That “Kind Of Budget Anytime Soon”
News of Chazelle’s next project comes out of CinemaCon courtesy of The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood. But outside of its official announcement, there’s not much to tell about Chazelle new movie. He’ll direct, write, and produce the film, but right now, it lacks a title, an official logline, or even an attached star. The only notable confirmed thing about the feature is that Chazelle produces it with his wife Olivia Hamilton through their Wild Chickens Production banner as part of their first-look deal with Paramount. And for now, that’s about it regarding this one.
Obviously, Chazelle looks to rebound after “Babylon” divided critics and failed to garner an audience in theaters. The 2022 film didn’t come close to recouping its $80 million budget at the box office, making just $15.4 million domestically and $48 million through international markets. And Chazelle knows, given that film’s failure, that he won’t get the same budget to burn for his next one. “I’m not going to get a budget of “Babylon” size any time soon, or at least not on this next one,” he said on TCM‘s “Talking Pictures” podcast last month. In that interview, Chazelle admitted that “in financial terms, “Babylon” didn’t work at all,” but he’s not letting that faze him, creatively speaking. “I’m really of mixed mind about it,” he continued, “so I guess I need to try and do what I would have done regardless.”
And that’s what, as an artist, Chazelle should do, because “Babylon” may have been a commercial dud, but it fared well critically in certain markets (particularly France) and with certain critics. Sure, it’s a divisive film, with many considering it excessive yet brilliant, debauched yet bold in equal measure. But it’s also a movie that guarantees reevaluation, especially since it’s now clear that it won’t end Chazelle’s career. And remember, this is also the guy who made an Oscar Best Picture winner in “La La Land” eight years ago. If anyone could rebound after a disaster, it’s Damien Chazelle.
And it’s not as if Chazelle hasn’t stayed busy since “Babylon” either. He’s producing David Ayer‘s upcoming survival drama “Heart Of The Beast” through his Paramount deal, and he recently directed another short film for Louis Vuitton with Bradley Cooper. And he headed the Venice Film Festival jury last year, too. So, no, Chazelle isn’t persona non grata in the industry due to “Babylon” at all. But make no mistake, whatever his sixth film ends up being, Chazelle will be out to silence critics with his next feature.