Finally, audiences are getting more than just a glimpse at “Megalopolis.”
The self-funded feature from auteur Francis Ford Coppola has been rife with on-set production rumors, ranging from a below-the-line exodus to allegations of Coppola kissing extras against their will. The sprawling ensemble film, which debuted at Cannes, is now almost in theaters for the world to witness its unhinged storyline and effects.
Adam Driver leads the film as a pseudo alter-ego of writer/director Coppola. The Oscar-nominated actor plays an architect who envisions saving his corrupt city and transforming the metropolis into a utopia. Meanwhile, the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) clashes with Driver’s character, just as the mayor’s daughter (Nathalie Emmanuel) becomes romantically entangled with him.
Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, Jason Schwartzman, Baily Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar co-star.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote in his review that “Coppola’s wild and delirious fever dream inspires new hope for the future of movies.” However, other first reactions were more divisive.
Coppola previously told Vanity Fair that he rewrote the script more than “300 times” across decades.
“Early on, I remember once I took 130 blank pages and put on a title page boldly announcing Francis ‘Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis,’ and under that, ‘All Roads Lead to Rome,’” Coppola said. “I pretended it wasn’t totally blank, weighing it in my hands so I could imagine what one day it would feel like, and believe one day it could exist. Then later, once I had a draft, I must have rewritten it 300 times, hoping each rewrite would improve it, if only a half percent better.”
Lionsgate picked up the distribution rights for the film after its premiere at Cannes; Coppola’s nephew Robert Schwartzman’s Utopia will also assist with the theatrical rollout. Schwartzman recently directed “The Good Half,” formerly starred in “The Princess Diaries,” and led indie rock band Rooney. Per a press release, Schwartzman’s Utopia will aid Lionsgate’s rollout of the film with a series of “specialty marketing, word-of-mouth, and non-traditional theatrical distribution initiatives.”
Utopia, which Schwartzman founded in 2019, distributed festival hits “Divinity” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.” As
“Megalopolis” premieres September 27 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
