Francis Ford Coppola Opens Up About Megalopolis

The Vision of Megalopolis

Megalopolis, a sci-fi passion project of director Francis Ford Coppola, has been in development since the 1980s. The movie tells the tale of two lovers amidst a conflict over the fate of New York, where traditionalist minds clash with futurist visionaries over the devastated city's future.

Adam Driver at a conference table, holding a heavily redacted document in The Report

The all-star cast includes Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whittaker, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Schwartzman, Laurence Fishburne, and Aubrey Plaza. Coppola has described the film as unusual and never boring, teasing the tone and performances that ensure audiences will be captivated throughout its runtime.

The Long Road to Release

Megalopolis faced almost 40 years of development, with financing from Coppola's own productions, including his 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The film encountered setbacks and pauses, with Coppola's unease about the narrative's appropriateness in a post-9/11 cultural landscape and challenges in raising funds.

After a revival in 2019, filming began in November 2022. However, discussions about production troubles arose in January 2023, with rumors of budget surpassing and chaos in the art production teams. Both Coppola and Adam Driver defended the production, with Driver praising his experience on the film.

Anticipation and Confidence

Megalopolis, with its troubled history and rumored on-set issues, has been highly-anticipated, but also met with skepticism from moviegoers. However, Coppola's confident tease of a 2024 release window has instilled confidence that the long-awaited sci-fi epic will finally hit the screens.