Summary

  • After decades in development, a first-look image of Coppola's epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis has finally been released
  • The image features Adam Driver as an idealistic architect and Nathalie Emmanuel as a socialite torn between her love for him and her loyalty to her father, his greatest rival.
  • Megalopolis still has no US release date, but will premiere at Cannes in May.

Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis receives a first-look image. The legendary filmmaker first conceived the idea for this highly anticipated retro-futurist epic in 1983, and the project was in and out of development up until a couple of years ago, when Coppola self-funded the production. While the movie has reportedly struggled to find distribution, threatening the theatrical release of Megalopolis, it was recently confirmed that the epic would be premiering at the forthcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Now, after much back-and-forth with the production and proposed release of Megalopolis, Vanity Fair shared a first-look image of Coppola’s long-awaited epic. Check it out below:

Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel against the backdrop of a city in Megalopolis

The image features Adam Driver, who is expected to play the role of Cesar, the movie’s main protagonist, alongside Nathalie Emmanuel, another one of the movie’s main cast members who plays the role of Julia Cicero. Driver's character is described as an architect who wants to rebuild his city for the better, while Emmanuel's is the daughter of his chief rival, Giancarlo Esposito's corrupt mayor. In love with Cesar but loyal to her father, Megalopolis finds her torn between them and facing a crucial choice.

Megalopolis’ Extensive Production Process Explained

The Megalopolis title card featuring a destroyed city in the background

As mentioned above, Megalopolis has been in the works for several years, going through different production hurdles, delays and cancelations. After numerous hindrances and hiccups, Coppola decided to fund the project by himself in 2019, and following the injection of a hefty production budget of $120 million, the project began to progress rapidly. Filming for Megalopolis began in November 2022 and reportedly wrapped four months later.

Following the restart of the project in 2019, Coppola began to approach different actors for the lead role of the movie, and after a thorough process, the filmmaker finally decided on Adam Driver to play the role of Cesar. Following his confirmation in the lead role, other Megalopolis cast members, which include names like Emmanuel, Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, and Dustin Hoffman, were also confirmed.

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While there are a plethora of reasons why it has taken so long for Megalopolis to come to fruition, the major reason being the movie’s extremely ambitious concept. And, true to form, the past few months have seen reports of very strong reactions at industry screenings, with many dubbing the film as decidedly uncommercial. Only French distribution has been confirmed so far, and Megalopolis will likely need strong reviews to secure a wide theatrical release in the US.

Source: Vanity Fair

Megalopolis is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.