The idea that the iconic auteur Francis Ford Coppola has had a project up his sleeves for the better part of three decades is one that surely gets everyone to sit up and take notice. Very few filmmakers boast of the imagination and creative nous that Coppola is known for, now in the twilight of his career, this long gestated passion project Megalopolis might just be his most ambitious film ever. Coppola began writing the script for Megalopolis in the 1980s but had to shelve it when it became obvious no one was willing to finance a project of that magnitude at that point in his career. Now the time is right. Thanks to an illustrious career, he has amassed a personal fortune enough to bankroll his dream film, and it promises to be a spectacle as always.

Megalopolis is centered around the aftermath and reconstruction of New York City following a disaster that wrecked the city and wiped off its urban infrastructure. Amid this chaos is an architect who is intent on braving the odds to rebuild New York City as a utopia after the devastating natural disaster. Megalopolis is Coppola’s brainchild, and he will be doubling as screenwriter and Director. The announcement that this project is on the horizon is a tantalizing prospect, here is everything we know so far about Megalopolis, from casting to filming and every other detail available.

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on May 14, 2024.

Does 'Megalopolis' Have a Release Date?

No, Megalopolis does not have a release date yet. The film is currently without a distributor, so it is hard to say when the film will be released. It wouldn't be too surprising if a studio like NEON decided to pick the film up, especially since they were the ones who distributed Michael Mann's Ferrari after it lost its distribution.

In January 2024, Coppola revealed on a podcast that the film would be out in just "a few months." That could mean that Coppola is hoping to premiere the film at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, with a wide release to follow soon after. While a Cannes premiere does seem likely, that doesn't mean that the film will be out soon after.

In April 2024, it was reported that the movie would finally be making its world premiere on May 17, at the Cannes Film Festival, alongside films such as George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga, and Quentin Dupieux's The Second Act.

For example, Todd Haynes' May December had its world premiere at the festival in May 2023, where it was then acquired by Netflix, but the film didn't receive its limited theatrical release until November 2023.

Is There a Trailer for 'Megalopolis'?

Francis Ford Coppola released a sneak peek of Megalopolis on May 4, 2024. The preview doesn't give away much, and shows Adam Driver in character, standing on top of a skyscraper.

In his post, Coppola wrote:

Megalopolis has always been a film dedicated to my dear wife Eleanor. I really had hoped to celebrate her birthday together this May 4th. But sadly that was not to be, so let me share with everyone a gift on her behalf.

Mere days before its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola unveiled the first teaser trailer for Megalopolis on May 14, 2024.

Alongside releasing the teaser, Coppola made a bold claim about the movie:

Our new film MEGALOPOLIS is the best work I've ever had the privilege to preside over.

What Is the Plot of 'Megalopolis'?

Set in modern-day America, Megalopolis will have similarities with Roman epic films, this time told with a focus on America. According to Coppola, the story will be based on The second Catiline Conspiracy, a feud between Roman senator Lucius Sergius Catilina and Marcus Tullius Cicero. Catilina hatches a plot with the help of a few disgruntled Roman Aristocrats to overthrow Cicero. In the context of Megalopolis, the beleaguered government official is the mayor of New York, who amid a financial crisis has a fight on his hands to keep his job. While it's obvious the city depicted is New York, in Megalopolis it takes up the form of some sort of New Rome.

Though the entire plot is not fully known, a lot of the storyline will center around an architect whose vision of a utopian city clashes with that of a corrupt mayor who would rather maintain the status quo than push the needle on the Architects' more progressive ideas. Coppola wants to use this story to draw contemporary society’s attention back to issues around environmental degradation, poor urban planning, and inequality. Coppola strongly believes that the same issues that led to the collapse of the Roman Empire could easily happen if modern society doesn't wake up to the realities of the changing times.

Adam Driver, who stars in the film, told Collider that the film is "wild," adding:

“It’s so imaginative and big and epic, and it’s bold. It takes a risk, and I couldn’t be more excited by it.”

Who Stars in 'Megalopolis'?

Megalopolis promises a star-studded cast that will include one of the most versatile actors around; Academy Award nominee Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), who will play the role of Cesar Catilina. Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) will play Franklyn Cicero, the embattled mayor of New York (or New Rome), a role that previously had Academy Award winner Forrest Whitaker attached. Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) stars in the role of Julia Cicero, and Academy Award nominee Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) is set to play Caesar's confidant Fundi Romaine.

Other cast members on board Coppola's passion project include Academy Award winner Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy) as Hamilton Crassus III, Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation) as Wow Platinum, Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City)as Jason Zanderz, Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon) as Clodio Pulcher, Academy Award nominee Talia Shire (Rocky) as Constance Crassus Catilina, Grace VanderWaal (Disney's Stargirl) as Vesta Sweetwater, Kathryn Hunter (Poor Things) as Tresa Cicero, and Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) as Nush "The Fixer" Berman. James Remar (Sex and the City), Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live), Isabelle Kusman (The Fabelmans), D.B. Sweeney (Fire in the Sky), and newcomers Madeleine Gardella and Bailey Ives also star in the film in undisclosed roles.

Who Is Making 'Megalopolis'?

Francis Ford Coppola will be directing and producing Megalopolis. Arguably one of the most illustrious filmmakers of his generation, Coppola has won five Academy Awards, been awarded the Palme d'Or twice, and has received a BAFTA award. His trilogy of crime films The Godfather is constantly in the conversation as one of the greatest films ever made. His other films include Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The Rainmaker, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and The Outsiders.

Megalopolis has been Coppola’s passion project since the 1980s. He announced on the eve of his 80th birthday that it was time for him to embark on his dream project and perhaps his most ambitious since Apocalypse Now. Coppola has been known to be critical of the film industry and its preference for financing franchises to the detriment of other filmmakers with more personal, non-franchise projects. Throughout his career, Coppola has seen himself pitched against the Hollywood establishment with a history of creative clashes with producers and studio executives whose obsession was commercial success was diametrically opposed to his views on filmmaking.

Now 83, and armed with a financial war chest robust enough to bankroll his creative desires, Coppola is willing to plow much of his fortune into the production of Megalopolis. Aware that none of the big studios will be ready to invest the big bucks in a non-franchise type production, Coppola, freeing himself from the shackles of Hollywood, is set to do what he has done for the best part of five decades - tell the story his way. Megalopolis is expected to gulp between $100 to $120 million, and he appears willing to self-finance the movie.

In an interview with Collider, Driver praised his experience working with Coppola, proclaiming:

But it has been one of the best – without hyperbole – best shooting experiences of my life. Watching him work that crew, that design team, he has such a command over cinematic language and an archive in his mind of shots that are so beautiful. And doing something so ambitious, and on his own terms, that you would think that it would be dictatorial or really controlled, but he is the most warm, open, thoughtful, director who is just… He really – and this all sounds like being very general, but he really embodies this thing of like, “We're making this experiment and we're not interested in how it comes out. We're interested in the process of making it.” And inevitably because of that, the thing that you make, there's no film reference for. I think what he's made is so unique and interesting. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it.

When and Where Did 'Megalopolis' Film?

Filming for Megalopolis began in early November 2022 at Trilith Studios in Georgia. Filming was initially set to wrap around March 2023, but there have been reports of production troubles with the film. The film was initially going to use the same LED virtual soundstage technology as The Mandalorian, but those plans were scrapped among budgetary concerns. The film reportedly lost its entire visual effects team at the beginning of December and recently lost its production designer and chief supervising art director. The film has now gone over budget, and there is some speculation as to whether the film can actually be completed.

Coppola has gone on to deny those rumors stating in an interview:

"I love my cast, I love what I’m getting each day, I am on schedule and on budget, and that’s what is important to me,"

Driver has also denied the rumors saying:

"All good here! Not sure what set you’re talking about! I don’t recognize that one! I’ve been on sets that were chaotic and this one is far from it."

On March 30, 2020, Coppola revealed on Instagram that filming for Megalopolis had wrapped.