Francis Ford Coppola Accused of ‘Old-School’ Behavior on ‘Megalopolis’ Production Set

While Francis Ford Coppola’s new big-budget film “Megalopolis” has been generating hype among the audience since its production began, there comes news that may affect Coppola’s reputation and the film’s prospects of becoming a blockbuster. The feature has been said to be his passion project which is finally premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Before being finally made, Coppola’s film “Megalopolis” faced several hurdles. The director has been trying to make this movie for more than 40 years, during which the project has gone through innumerable rewrites, delays, and false starts. Even now, the film is still without a distributor in North America, with many saying it’s a pricey and risky endeavor to invest in, considering the film’s unconventional nature. While this is something the viewers are already aware of,  what is emerging now is just how allegedly chaotic things were on set and some of the stories involve what is described as ‘old school’ behavior from the director himself.

As per a report from The Guardian, the filmmaker allegedly pulled women to sit on his lap. During one bacchanalian nightclub scene being shot for the film, witnesses say, Coppola came onto the set and tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras. He apparently claimed he was “trying to get them in the mood.”

In defense of this, the executive co-producer of “Megalopolis,” Darren Demetre, said,

“There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players. It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.”

While Coppola’s behavior is indeed questionable, his other activities on set also bothered the film’s crew members. Crew members allegedly quit halfway through filming, while Coppola added more complications by starting a property redevelopment during the movie’s making. One crew member states, “It was like watching a train wreck unfold day after day, week after week, and knowing that everybody there had tried their hardest to help the train wreck be avoided.”

However, the lead cast members, including Adam Driver, commented on their experience working on the project, contradicting the aforementioned remark as they have only spoken positively about their experience making the movie.

Francis Ford Coppola’s production onset behavior became bothersome for the crew members

Though it’s undisputable that “Megalopolis” is Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project, the statement from the movie’s crew members suggests otherwise. While the filmmaker has worked hard to make this film happen, his definition of dedication does not go well with the crew members, who alleged that the director himself wasted a lot of time because he had no plan in place on certain days to film big sequences in the project.

According to sources,

“He would often show up in the mornings before these big sequences and because no plan had been put in place, and because he wouldn’t allow his collaborators to put a plan in place, he would often just sit in his trailer for hours on end, wouldn’t talk to anybody, was often smoking marijuana…And hours and hours would go by without anything being filmed. And the crew and cast would all stand around and wait. And then he’d come out and whip up something that didn’t make sense, and that didn’t follow anything anybody had spoken about or anything that was on the page, and we’d all just go along with it, trying to make the best of it.”

While another source claimed that Coppola’s own words didn’t align with his actions. The source stated, “His dig at us was always, ‘I don’t want to make a Marvel movie,’ but at the end of the day, that’s what he ended up shooting.”

Yes, some people seemed disappointed with Coppola’s directorial approach, but a faction was always found standing behind the director in his support. Demetre stated,

“I have known and worked with Francis and his family for over 35 years. As one of the first assistant directors and an executive producer on his new epic, Megalopolis, I helped oversee and advise the production and ran the second unit. Francis successfully produced and directed an enormous independent film, making all the difficult decisions to ensure it was delivered on time and on budget while remaining true to his creative vision.”

Meanwhile, British director Mike Figgis, who has known Coppola for 30 years, praised Coppola’s energy on set, stating, “I have no idea where Francis gets his energy from.” He further said, “Watching an 84-year-old guy hold together that massive team, and to have enough brains to be able to direct the actors, the camera and everything … He was up every morning making notes on his way on to the set, or he’s discussing his ideas with Roman, his son. And at the end of the day, he’s also the producer, so he’s thinking about his interest rate.”

The experiences people had while filming with Coppola vary from person to person, so it’s hard to label Coppola with a tag. Especially when we know work speaks for itself, so when the film arrives, the audience will know if “Megalopolis” is a masterpiece or a flop.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on May 16, 2024.