A new trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis has dropped ahead of its Cannes Film Festival premiere. It teases the film as the Godfather director's “best work.”
The new 90-second trailer was first posted on Coppola's official YouTube channel. “Our new film Megalopolis is the best work I've ever had the privilege to preside over,” the trailer's description read.
The trailer
The poster begins with a shot of the Statue of Liberty as New York City is being attacked from the sky.
“When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no, but there comes a time when its people no longer believe in it,” a voiceover begins over shots of the city in ruins.
More shots of New York City, both at its highest and lowest points, follow. It shows the clashes of Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and Mayor Franklyn Cicero's (Giancarlo Esposito) ideologies.
“Is this society, is this way we're living, the only one that's available to us?” Cesar asks.
The trailer also tells the audience to “create your future.”
It ends with another voiceover from Cesar, following up on his previous comments. “And when we ask these questions, when there's a dialogue about them, that basically is a utopia,” he concludes.
What is Megalopolis about?
Megalopolis follows New York City after its been destroyed and left in a decaying state. Cesar Catilina is an idealist architect who wants to rebuild the city as a utopia. On the other hand, Mayor Franklyn Cicero wants to keep the city in its current state.
This causes tension for Cicero's daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), who is searching for meaning in her own life as Catilina and Cicero clash.
The ensemble is filled with other A-list actors as well. Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Chloe Fineman, and Jon Voight will also appear in the film.
Megalopolis was an ambitious project for Coppola to take on. He wrote and directed the film but also financed it. It's also his first film in over a decade (his last film was 2011's Twixt).
Who is Francis Ford Coppola?
Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time. Throughout his career, he has won several awards for his films including Oscars.
He first gained notoriety for directing Dementia 13, You're a Big Boy Now, and The Rain People. In 1972, he directed The Godfather, an adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel of the same name. It was a smash hit and made household names out of the likes of Coppola, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton.
The Godfather garnered 10 Oscar nominations and won several including Best Picture. A few years later, The Godfather Part II was released and got 11 Oscar nominations. It won several awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Coppola.
From there, Coppola would direct other acclaimed films such as The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders, and Peggy Sue Got Married. Megalopolis has been a long time coming leading into its Cannes premiere, and we will see if it is Coppola's swan song after a legendary career.
Megalopolis will hold its world premiere on May 16 at the Cannes Film Festival.
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