It could lead you to success or irreparable ruin. Francis Ford Coppola surprised the film world by revealing that he rewrote the script for his ambitious project Megalopolis about 300 times before finance it personally with 120 million dollarsafter the sale of part of his vineyard in northern California.
This epic film, which is inspired by What will come of H. G. Wellsis scheduled for world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024. In a glimpse revealed this Saturday, a first scene from the movie starring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel.
Coppola spent a long time developing Megalopolisa story that takes place in a metropolis similar to New York after a catastrophe. This project not only represents a personal endeavor of the director but also seeks to challenge the conventions of contemporary cinema with a unique narrative and a stellar cast that includes Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire and Jason Schwartzman.
Driver plays an idealistic architect with a dream of rebuilding the city, confronting the corrupt mayor, played by Esposito, and who finds an unexpected romance with the mayor’s socialist daughter, played by Emmanuel.
“I wasn’t working on this script for 40 years… but collecting notes for a future script,” he explained to vanity fair. “In the end, after a long time, I decided on the idea of a Roman epic. And later on, a Roman epic set in a modern Americahence I didn’t start writing this script until about 12 years ago.. Also, since I have made many films with very different themes and styles, I was hoping for a project later, when I could better understand what my personal style was.”
Despite the challenges in distribution and demand from the filmmaker and his team to receive half of the film’s income, Megalopolis generated considerable interest on the festival circuit, and was in negotiations with French distributor Le Pacte toward its release without compromising its theatrical release in France, a requirement of the Cannes Festival. Finally, the agreement was closed and, through their social networks, Le Pacte shared the official teaser.
The film, which completed production last year, has already been presented to a select group of studio heads, distributors and buyers, generating a mix of opinions. While some call him extravagant and ungovernable, others see him as a noble challenge to the current cinematographic landscape. “There is a nobility in how challenging it is. Megalopolis”commented a senior executive, highlighting the unique vision of Francis Ford Coppola.
With sequences that border on the absurd and a deep exploration of themes such as sex, drugs, violence and the uncertain future of America, the story seems to defy narrative expectations and conventions. One scene in particular, which includes Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeoufhas been a source of conversation for its daring representation of the search for female pleasurewithin a broader context that criticizes American decadence.
The question about the fate of Megalopolis and how will you respond hollywood before it remains. As far as what is known, she faces challenges in her search for a distribution deal that meets Coppola’s expectations, but with offers to appear at all the major film festivals. There is a clear expectation that, in addition to its screening in Cannes, it will have the opportunity to be the big premiere of the year.
For now, it does not have a confirmed release date, although its premiere will be in Cannes Film Festival 2024which will start the next May 14.
