Despite difficulties in securing distribution, legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is full steam ahead on Megalopolis ahead of its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month, with the director sharing an official first-look at the Adam Driver-led film through his YouTube channel.
The film, Coppola’s first since 2011’s Twixt, is a long-time passion project for the filmmaker, who has funded the sci-fi drama out of his own pocket to the tune of some $120 million after first conceiving of the idea back in 1979.
Featuring in the cast alongside Adam Driver are Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman. Take a look at the first clip here…
Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.
Megalopolis will receive its world premiere in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival this month.
Originally published May 4, 2024. Updated May 5, 2024.
