To say that people are curious about Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film, “Megalopolis,” is a gross understatement. Not only is a new film by Coppola something worth watching just because he’s one of the best American filmmakers in history, but “Megalopolis” is his passion project, decades in the making. He was so invested in getting this film made, he is financing the $100+ million out of his own pocket. And all of this is before you take into consideration the actual content of the film, which is apparently impossibly ambitious if Jon Hamm is to be believed.
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Speaking on the Back to One podcast, Jon Hamm opened up about Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film, “Megalopolis.” The new drama is said to be about a group of people fighting to build a utopian society after a cataclysmic natural disaster. The film features an incredible ensemble cast with folks like Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Schwartzman all attached to star. One person who isn’t in the cast is actually Jon Hamm. Though, the reason the actor has first-hand knowledge of Coppola’s new project is that he was asked to join a table read to help the filmmaker work on the script before production began. And it’s during this table read that Hamm fully understood just how much of an undertaking “Megalopolis” would be for Coppola.
“Look at what Francis Ford Coppola is doing right now,” Hamm said. “He’s making a $300 million movie that he just has wanted to make. I did a table read of it, I know how impossible this movie is to make. But he’s making it. And God bless him, that’s exactly what he should be doing.”
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how he’s gonna make this movie,’” he added. “I sat at a table with Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, all these amazing actors. I thought, ‘I don’t know know what this is gonna be, but I’m unbelievably happy to be here in this room on the Paramount lot where 45 years ago he made “The Godfather” when Robert Evans was walking around.’ Like ‘Okay, I’ll be part of this.’”
As mentioned, the hype for “Megalopolis” is sky-high. There is just so much drama surrounding the film even before it premieres. Will this be Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus? Is this just a really expensive vanity project? Can it revolutionize cinema? Who knows? We don’t even know when the film will likely arrive in theaters.