Smoke on the street is that Margot Robbie is in talks to replace Emma Stone for a leading role in Damien Chazelle's upcoming period drama Babylon. According to Deadline, Robbie is negotiating for the part which will see her reunited with her Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star, Brad Pitt.
The film, which is expected to be R-rated, is set in the shifting moment in Hollywood when the industry turned from silent film to talkies. Paramount acquired the rights to the movie back in late 2019 while hoping to release it on Christmas Day 2021 as a potential awards contender. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic muddled Paramount's best-laid plans, which now makes that release window uncertain at best. Babylon will be produced by Olivia Hamilton, Matt Plouffe, Marc Platt, and Tobey Maguire, with filming expected to take place, at least in part, in Los Angeles.
While no final decision has been made, it's been said that Stone's next, Cruella, which is a live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil, will premiere on Disney+ sometime in 2021. However, if your craving for Stone's talents is proving to be too much, you can catch her as the voice of Eep in Dreamworks Animation's The Croods: A New Age, which is in theaters now. In the animated sequel, the prehistoric family the Croods are challenged by a rival family the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved.
We'll be sure to bring you more updates as Chazelle's next big feature continues to take shape.