Jean Smart, currently in the spotlight for the Emmy Awards thanks to her starring role in HBO Max comedy Hacks, is set for the roster of Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s ode to Hollywood’s golden age of the 1920s. Chazelle wrote the script for the drama and is directing for Paramount Pictures. The production began shooting in Los Angeles last week, Hollywood Reporter details. Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Diego Calva are among the all-star cast, including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, and Katherine Waterston.

The film is set in the late 1920s during the movie industry’s transition from silent films to talkies. It explores the rise and fall of multiple characters, describing the summary as “The Great Gatsby on steroids.”

According to The Reporter and sources, Smart will be playing a Hollywood journalist/critic who has the power to make or break careers.

Paramount is planning for a platformed release, opening limitedly on December 25, 2022 before going wider on January 6, 2023.

Smart became a network star in the 1980s thanks to CBS’ Designing Women. She earned Emmy nominations for her work as the shady first lady in 24, Samantha Who? and Fargo. More recently, she played former superheroine Silk Spectre in HBO’s Watchmen. Her movie credits include Sweet Home Alabama and A Simple Favor.

She is gaining recognition again for her work in Hacks as a Las Vegas diva looking to spruce up her act by working with a 25-year-old played by Hannah Einbinger. Hacks was released in May and received rave reviews. By June, it had scored a second-season continuation. Smart also co-starred in the Kate Winslet-led HBO limited series Mare of Easttown.

More on Babylon will be released in the near future. Be on the lookout for the scoop on this 1920s pop culture feature!