Tobey Maguire set to make his return to acting after 7-year absence with Damien Chazelle's Babylon

Tobey Maguire will return to the silver screen for the first time in years, joining the star-studded cast of Damien Chazelle’s (La La Land, Whiplash) new film Babylon, a 1920s-set ode to the golden age of Hollywood.

Other cast newcomers include Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, and Phoebe Tonkin, who join a full slate of actors already locked in for the picture: Max Minghella, Lukas Haas, Flea, Rory Scovel, Samara Weaving, Eric Roberts, P.J. Byrne, Damon Gupton, Diego Calva, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Katherine Waterston. Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt will lead the project in unrevealed roles.

Babylon will explore the rise and fall of prominent Hollywood figures during the movie industry’s transition from silent films to talkies. All character details are currently under lock and key, so it’s unclear if it will be pure fiction or based on actual historical figures. Maguire, in addition to acting, will also have an executive producing role alongside Helen Estabrook and Adam Siegel.

Director Spike Jonze will make a rare appearance in front of the camera for Babylon. The Her, Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation director has made very few on-screen appearances over the course of his career, mostly playing small, background roles. Olivia Wilde is currently wrapping up production on her upcoming film Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.

Maguire’s only film role since 2014 was as narrator in the children’s animated film The Boss Baby (2017). His last screen role in 2014 was in Pawn Sacrifice, where he starred as chess prodigy Bobby Fischer. Before that he made his name in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002), playing the web-slinging superhero in three films. He’s also known for his roles as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby and Captain Sam Caphill in Brothers.