Francis Ford Coppola, the iconic auteur behind films like The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, has finally made his long-standing passion project, Megalopolis. The upcoming epic science fiction film was first envisioned by him in the 1980s, and while he has overcome several hurdles, it is now finally completed. The film is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month in a matter of days. Meanwhile, French distributor Le Pacte released the first look teaser for Megalopolis.
What can be expected from Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film Megalopolis?
The upcoming sci-fi movie is Francis Ford Coppala’s ambitious project. It is also a self-funded film that reportedly cost $120 million. From its development to finding distributors, this film was made after putting so much toll on it. This could be a hit or a miss for Coppala, with little room for anything in between. However, given the star power and intriguing plot attached to it, something good can be expected.
The film stars acclaimed actor Adam Driver in the lead role, who was nominated twice for the Academy Awards for movies like BlacKkKlansman and Marriage Story.
Megalopolis is centered around an architect, Cesar (Driver), who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. The film explores personal, political, and romantic themes. It is said to be inspired by a mix of the September 11 attacks, the murderous conspiracies of ancient Roman History, the influence of cable news, and much more. While talking about his upcoming film, Coppola told Vanity Fair recently, “To that, I added everything I had ever read or learned about.”
The protagonist, Cesar, also has a superpower to stop time. With the recently released teaser, fans get a glimpse of his power, as in the clip, one can see Driver’s character do precisely that, much to his own shock and surprise.
The details that have surfaced so far about Driver’s character in the film describe him as an idealist who aims to rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia. At the same time, the unscrupulous mayor, Frank Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), has other plans. Frank’s socialite daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) comes between the opposing men and their visions. Tired of the attention and power she was born with, Julia searches for her life’s meaning.
The rest of the cast of Megalopolis includes Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, and D. B. Sweeney.
The official synopsis of the film reads:
“Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”
Megalopolis was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it will premiere on May 17, 2024.
