Literally decades in the making, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is only a couple of weeks away from its big debut at Cannes. First dreamed up by Coppola in 1979 with development beginning in 1983, the sci-fi film marks the 85-year-old filmmaking legend’s first completed feature since 2011’s experimental film, Twixt, which few people saw. And he’s determined to make this longtime passion project happen, investing $100M of his own money to finance it at great sacrifice.
Oscar-nominee Adam Driver leads a starry cast as Caesar, an idealist architect who dreams of rebuilding a devastated city as a sustainable utopia. But he faces headwinds from unscrupulous mayor Frank Cicero, played by Giancarlo Esposito. Nathalie Emmanuel plays Frank’s socialite daughter, Julia, who is tired of the wealth and privilege she was born with and stands between both men.
Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, and D. B. Sweeney are all part of a terrific ensemble.
“The seeds for Megalopolis were planted when as a kid I saw H.G. Wells’s Things to Come,” Coppola said to Vanity Fair. “This 1930s Korda classic is about building the world of tomorrow, and has always been with me, first as the ‘boy scientist’ I was and later as a filmmaker.”
Megalopolis will make its world premiere at Cannes later this month. Will Coppola’s investment be worth it? We’ll know very soon.
