The Chaotic Journey of Megalopolis: A Francis Ford Coppola Masterpiece

The Vision of Megalopolis

Adam Driver speaks highly of his time working on the upcoming film Megalopolis. Megalopolis is helmed by directing icon Francis Ford Coppola, who is the auteur behind some of the most celebrated films of the 20th century, including The Godfather and the masterpiece Apocalypse Now. Megalopolis is a science-fiction film about an architect who attempts to reconstruct New York City as a utopia following a disaster.

Black and white image of Francis Ford Coppola directing a movie

Despite trouble being reported on set for the upcoming Megalopolis, actor Driver raves about his on-set experience on the film. Speaking with Collider, Driver claimed that the fact that Coppola “financed it himself” allowed for significantly more freedom on set. This meant that Coppola “was in control of the movie,” and Driver “loved that process and making it with him.”

“Because he financed it himself, it made the shooting process one of the best experiences, if not the best shooting experience, I’ve ever had. There was no excess conversation, there were no people robbing from Peter to pay Paul.”

“It felt like he was in control of the movie that he wanted to make and that was it.”

“It felt like, ‘Oh, this is how movies should be.’ And he is the most generous, philosophical person that I know. I loved that process and making it with him. I love talking to him.”

The Rocky Production of Megalopolis

Despite Driver’s positive report of Megalopolis, there have been numerous other reports to the contrary regarding the state of the Coppola set. Early this year, it was reported that multiple staff members — including supervising art director David Scott and production designer Beth Mickle — had departed the project, leaving Megalopolis without an art department. These departures occurred halfway through the film’s shooting, leading Coppola to have to scramble to hire new staff members.

Adding onto the Megalopolis chaos is the fact that Coppola has been attempting to make this film for decades. Megalopolis comes from an idea that Coppola originally concocted back in the 1980s. He failed to get the production started on the film upon an early 2000s attempt, abandoning the project in 2007. Then, Coppola finally restarted the production back in 2019, deciding to self-fund the project.

Despite the chaotic reports, Megalopolis finally managed to finish filming in March of this year. The film is in post-production, but its release date is unclear. Reports from the set of the film suggest that as much as the production was tumultuous, Megalopolis itself is a daring effort from Coppola, and Driver’s recent praise certainly implies this to be true.

The Unpredictable Journey

The journey of Megalopolis has been nothing short of unpredictable. Despite the chaos and turmoil during its production, the film has made significant progress. The resilience of director Francis Ford Coppola and the dedication of the cast and crew are evident in the completion of filming.

Megalopolis, a long-anticipated science-fiction film, holds the promise of being a daring and ambitious project that pushes the boundaries of creativity and storytelling. The challenges faced during its production have only added to the anticipation surrounding its release.

As the film enters post-production, the industry eagerly awaits the final outcome of this turbulent yet captivating journey. The chaotic reports from the set of Megalopolis have only heightened the curiosity and intrigue surrounding the film, and audiences are eager to witness the vision of Francis Ford Coppola come to life on the big screen.