Francis Ford Coppola kicked off 2024 by confirming that his self-financed magnum opus “Megalopolis” will reach audiences this year. “It’s only going to be a few months and it’ll be out,” Coppola said in January. That sounds like a Cannes Film Festival world premiere to this writer, but FFC didn’t elaborate further, only saying, “wait and see.” An apt cryptic phrase for a project shrouded in mystery, but not one that will satisfy those curious about the project.
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And a new interview with “Megalopolis” star Adam Driver doesn’t provide easy answers either. In a recent interview with The Face, the actor also played coy about FFC’s upcoming epic. “It’s kind of undefinable, which feels very general until you watch the movie,” Driver said about the film. “Then my answer will be perfect. There’s not a lot of precedent for it and it’s wild on a big scale, which is what’s really unique about it.”
As for Caesar, the architect Driver plays in the film, the actor said, “He’s a visionary. He’s very much Francis, in a way, where he’s investigated every way of how people can do something and is trying not to get stuck on the right answer. That’s an idea that’s moving to me – and one that reflects Francis.” In “Megalopolis,” Caesar has grand designs to rebuild New York City after a disaster. But Caesar’s progressive vision chafes with the sensibilities of his lover’s father, leaving his dreams of utopia in doubt.
Along with Driver, the ensemble cast of “Megalopolis” includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Shia LeBeouf, and Grace VanderWaal. Kathryn Hunter, James Remar, Chloe Fineman, Giancarlo Esposito, and Dustin Hoffman also star, as do Madeleine Gardella, Isabella Kusman, D.B Sweeney, and Bailey Ives.
Driver was more candid about Coppola’s latest in an interview with Collider late last year. And the actor adored working on the film because of the complete creative control FFC had on-set. “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,” the actor told Collider. “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.”
As for “Megalopolis” itself, “the movie is wild,” Driver continued. “It’s so imaginative and big and epic, and it’s bold. It takes a risk, and I couldn’t be more excited by it.” “Megalopolis” is a major financial risk for Coppola, too. He bankrolled the entire film, with budget estimates over $120 million. That means if the film doesn’t find an audience, this film could be disastrious to Coppola and his legacy.
In other words, the stakes couldn’t be higher as “Megalopolis” approaches its world premiere. So what will this epic be: a career-defining triumph or a failure of epic proportions? Moviegoers should find out soon if Coppola’s prediction for its release prove correct.