Francis Ford Coppola names the show that changed television forever: “It’s kind of amazing”
It’s safe to say that Francis Ford Coppola isn’t having the best time right now. His recent venture Megalopolis, a decades-overdue passion project that the director poured millions of his own dollars into, went down like a lead balloon. Reviews were dire, it absolutely tanked at the box office, and production was dogged with controversy, from the hiring of disgraced actor Shia LeBoeuf to reports that Coppola made unwanted advances to extras.
Still, the guy did make Apocalypse Now and The Godfather, so he obviously knows something about good filmmaking. Or at least, he knew something about good filmmaking. His opinion might not be in high demand these days, but it’s still interesting to gain insight into one of cinema’s most fascinating minds.
In the build-up to Megalopolis’ release, Coppola sat down with Rolling Stone. The interview covered many things, including his thoughts on another staple of gangster media. “The Sopranos is incredible,” he said. “[David Chase] wanted to be a moviemaker, and you can see all of these cinematic influences in the show. And then he raised television storytelling to the level of movies, and maybe surpassed them. It’s kind of amazing.” David Chase is the man who created The Sopranos, for those who don’t know. He also directed two episodes of the show and wrote the script for over 20 of them.
Coppola also shared that Megalopolis owed some of itself to The Sopranos’ lead actor, the late James Gandolfini. “He gave me a lot of great suggestions, actually,” he revealed. “He read the part of the mayor back when I did a reading of a draft in 2001.” Gandolfini, who played mobster-with-a-heart-of-gold Tony Soprano on the show, passed away in 2013. The role of Mayor Franklyn Cicero in Megalopolis eventually went to Giancarlo Esposito.
The Sopranos ran for six seasons between 1999 and 2007. It centres on Tony, a gangster, as he attempts to balance his criminal empire with family life and his ongoing therapy. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows ever made and is credited with creating a renewed interest in television as a format. In 2021, the series got a prequel movie, The Many Saints of Newark, co-written by Chase. The part of a young Tony Soprano was played by Gandolfini’s son, Michael, and it also featured the likes of Leslie Odom Jr, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, and Ray Liotta in his final film appearance.
Elsewhere in the interview, Coppola discussed how the success of The Godfather affected his older brother, August, who was also an aspiring writer. “When The Godfather came out and suddenly Francis Ford Coppola was somebody, he couldn’t be August Floyd Coppola anymore because it seemed as though he was copying me,” he said. “But I was copying him, and that caused the heartbreaking issue that went on and on throughout my life.”
When asked if his success changed the dynamic between him and his brother, Coppola replied, “I still worshipped him. He died not talking to me.”
You might not have heard of August Coppola, but you will have definitely heard of his son, Nicolas Kim Coppola, better known as Nicolas Cage. The Con Air star changed his last name to avoid allegations of nepotism and to make a career for himself outside of his famous family.
