Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola has been working on his passion project film “Megalopolis” off and on since the 1980s. The long-anticipated movie is finally set to open at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. A fitting debut considering he’s won the Palme d’Or there twice before with “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now.”
In honor of the film’s upcoming opening, Coppola has released second teaser trailer.
The Plot
“Megalopolis” is a Roman epic set in New York during reconstruction after a disaster that wiped out all the infrastructure. It tells the story of an ambitious city planner named Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) duking it out with politicians following the city’s collapse.
The film will also star Forest Whitaker as the Mayor of New York, Dustin Hoffman, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, and Shia LaBeouf. Alongside Coppola’s sister Talia Shire, and nephew Jason Schwartzman.
Teaser Footage
The new teaser features Fishburne musings, as we see some kind of meteor shower hit the city. We then see Cesar roaming around a Romanesque city asking questions about social structures. All while statues seemingly come to life and collapse.
The film has suffered a troubled production, with Coppola sinking $120 million from his winery to fund the project. There was so much negative press around its production that many thought it would never see the light of day. But it seems all the hard work and sacrifice has paid off for the director.
“Our new film MEGALOPOLIS is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” Coppola captioned the new teaser. This is a huge statement considering it’s coming from the same man who made “The Godfather.”
Inspiration
“Megalopolis,” finally on the verge of debut is bittersweet though. Earlier this month, when he released the first teaser, Coppola revealed; “Megalopolis has always been a film dedicated to my dear wife Eleanor,” he wrote. “I really had hoped to celebrate her birthday together this May 4th. But sadly that was not to be, so let me share with everyone a gift on her behalf.”
His beloved wife, Eleanor Coppola, who directed the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” about him making “Apocalypse Now,” passed away on April 12th. On May 12th, he also lost his mentor and first boss, producer Roger Corman. Corman gave Coppola his first big break with the 1963 film “Dementia 13.’
“Megalopolis” is expected to hit theaters and IMAX sometime this year. We will keep you posted on updates about the film as they become available. You can check out the new teaser below:
