Damien Chazelle Sets New Film At Paramount
Damien Chazelle at the 89th Academy Awards. Courtesy of AMPAS.
Filmmaker Damien Chazelle announced his second film for Paramount Pictures today, and his first after signing a first-look deal with the studio following 2022’s Babylon.
Chazelle, an Oscar winner for directing La La Land, is set to direct the film from an original screenplay. He will also produce the film alongside his partner Olivia Hamilton through their Wild Chickens Productions.
Sources say that the film, to be released in 2025, is set in a prison, though unconfirmed.
There is no public production start date at this time, as no talent is attached to the project, though Chazelle is expected to begin meetings shortly.
Chazelle’s upcoming feature is set to be his sixth, following Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Whiplash, La La Land, First Man, and Babylon, two of which he earned writing nominations for in the Adapted and Original Screenplay categories, winning the Best Director prize for the latter film.
Chazelle’s name has been a mainstay on social media recently, as his fans have noticed the gap between his last film and today’s announcement, assuming the 39-year-old was in “Director’s Jail” after Babylon failed to profit during its theatrical run following mixed reviews.
This Week Media named the 1920s-set epic the best film of 2022, beating out Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans for the year’s top spot. Babylon received three Academy Award nominations, with zero wins.
Damien Chazelle made a splash with his short film Whiplash at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013, a proof-of-concept for his feature of the same name, which released in 2014 and won three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons.
La La Land received 14 Oscar nominations, tying with Titanic and All About Eve with the most nominations of all time. The film won six Oscars, including Best Director for Chazelle, Best Original Score, and Best Actress for Emma Stone.
Damien Chazelle is represented by WME.
