Summary
- Francis Ford Coppola shares the first look at his upcoming sci-fi epic Megalopolis, featuring a star-studded cast including Adam Driver and Forest Whitaker.
- Coppola defends the production of Megalopolis, expressing his happiness with the cast and their commitment to finding unconventional solutions.
- Megalopolis is a love story set in a utopian version of New York City, exploring the conflicting philosophies of its characters. Coppola funded the project by selling a piece of his winery.
Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola has at last shared the first look at his upcoming science fiction epic, Megalopolis. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, and more, the first look at Megalopolis reveals a gloomy look at Coppola's future society.
You can check out the first look at Megalopolis below.
The production of Megalopolis has reportedly been rather chaotic, with Coppola responding to said reports and heaping praise on his stacked ensemble cast.
"I've never worked on a film where I was so happy with the cast. I am so happy with the look and that we are so on schedule. These reports never say who these sources are. To them, I say, ha, ha, just wait and see. Because this is a beautiful film and primarily so because the cast is so great. I've never enjoyed working with a cast who are so hardworking and so willing to go search for the unconventional, to come upon hidden solutions. It is a thrill to work with these actors and the photography is everything I could hope for. The dailies are great. So if we're on schedule, and I love the actors and the look is great, I don't know what anyone's talking about here."
Megalopolis will feature Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Voight. The Godfather director has sold a piece of his Francis Ford Coppola Winery to fund his dream project. The budget is set at just under $100 million. Coppola has written the script and will direct the feature film which takes place in a utopian version of New York City. In a recent interview with journalist Zach Baron for GQ magazine, Coppola explained the movie's plot as follows:
"It's a love story. A woman is divided between loyalties to two men. But not only two men. Each man comes with a philosophical principle. One is her father who raised her, who taught her Latin on his lap and is devoted to a much more classical view of society, the Marcus Aurelius kind of view. The other one, who is the lover, is the enemy of the father but is dedicated to a much more progressive 'Let's leap into the future, let's leap over all of this garbage that has contaminated humanity for 10,000 years. Let's find what we really are, which are an enlightened, friendly, joyous species," Coppola said during the interview.
Coppola became a sought-after director after the 1972 release of The Godfather. He has won five Oscars for his work on The Godfather, The Godfather II and Patton and has also won numerous other awards including a British Film Academy Award for Apocalypse Now and six Golden Globe Awards for American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now and The Godfather.
Who Is in the Megalopolis All-Star Cast?
Coppola has, undoubtedly, brought together a group of heavy hitters for his upcoming film. Adam Driver recently appeared in House of Gucci as Maurizio Gucci. The Oscar and Emmy Award nominee was a regular on HBO's Girls and played Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, with his most recent projects including White Noise, 65, and Ferrari, where he stars as Enzo Ferrari.
Nathalie Emmanuel, a popular theater actress, is best known for her portrayal of Missandei on HBO's Game of Thrones. In 2012, she joined the Fast and The Furious franchise as Ramsey. Laurence Fishburne began working with the iconic director when he was just 14 as Tyrone Miller in Apocalypse Now, and has since become best-recognized for his roles in the John Wick franchise and The Matrix franchise alongside co-star Keanu Reeves.
Forest Whitaker, meanwhile, made his film debut in Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 2006, he starred in The King of Scotland. He was recognized for his work on the film and won multiple awards including an Oscar for Best Actor. He is next set to play boxing trainer Doc Broadus in Heart of a Lion, an upcoming biopic about George Foreman.
The rest of the cast due to inhabit Megalopolis includes Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter, James Remar, Chloe Fineman, Madeleine Gardella, Isabelle Kusman, D. B. Sweeney, Bailey Ives, Dustin Hoffman, and Giancarlo Esposito.