Cannes 2024: Francis Ford Coppola to premiere ‘Megalopolis’
As one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema and an independently wealthy man, Francis Ford Coppola is well within his rights to put his feet up, relax, and enjoy the fruits of his labours, especially now that he’s 85 years old and been making movies for more than 60 years.
However, he’s never been one to take things easy on a professional level, with the upcoming Megalopolis his single riskiest venture to date. For a filmmaker that’s experienced plenty of nightmarish shoots, suffered box office disaster on multiple occasions, and declared bankruptcy three times after betting big on his own productions and failing, that’s saying something.
An existential sci-fi on an epic scale, Coppola has been toying with the idea of Megalopolis since the late 1970s, and it remained lurking in the background of his mind for decades to come. The start of pre-production was officially announced in 2019, which came with the news the director had self-funded the entire $120million budget by selling off a substantial piece of his lucrative winery business.
Coppola’s issues are far from over despite Megalopolis having been shot and edited, though, with the film currently seeking distribution. Reports have emerged suggesting there aren’t many prospective backers willing to take a punt on such a unique, original, and potentially dicey investment, but the easiest way to sell the film to the masses would simply be to lean on Coppola’s immense legacy.
After all, this is a five-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker who helmed The Godfather trilogy, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to name just a small few, and slapping that sentiment all over the trailers and posters would be more than enough to generate at least some interest among the general cinema-going public.
As of yet Coppola’s long-gestating passion project doesn’t have a release date or a distribution partner in place, but at least Megalopolis has locked in a world premiere. The film will hold its first screening on May 17th at the Cannes Film Festival in a gala slot, and by screening in competition, it’s already now in the thick of the awards race.
The sprawling ensemble cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Coppola dynasty members Talia Shire and Jason Schwartzman also feature. Furthermore, the combination of a legendary director, a big-budget sci-fi setting, and a stacked roster of recognisable names makes it even more of a head-scratcher that Megalopolis is struggling to find a company willing to shoulder the burden of distribution.
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