Francis Ford Coppola's long-awaited sci-fi epic 'Megalopolis' has received mixed first reviews ahead of its debut at the Cannes film festival. The 85-year-old director has spent over 40 years and $120 million of his own money to bring the project to life, selling part of his winery estate to finance it.
The film, described by Coppola as 'a Roman epic set in modern America', transposes the Catiline conspiracy of 63BC to a futuristic New York. It stars Adam Driver as an idealistic architect trying to build a utopian city, opposed by the mayor (Giancarlo Esposito), with the mayor's daughter (Nathalie Emmanuel) caught in the middle. The cast also includes Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, and Laurence Fishburne.
According to crew members, the production was fraught with chaos. One source described it as 'watching a train wreck unfold day after day', with crucial crew members quitting and time wasted on property redevelopment. Coppola has a history of such ambitious, risky productions, including 'Apocalypse Now', which he famously feared would be 'a really shitty, embarrassing, pompous film'.
Coppola first conceived 'Megalopolis' while making 'Apocalypse Now', fuelled by concerns about US imperialism. Early plans included a four-night screening event at a purpose-built theatre. The project has seen numerous rewrites and false starts over the decades, with various personnel coming and going.
