Francis Ford Coppola’s movie 'Megalopolis' is scheduled to premiere in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
This film, a 20-year passion project for “The Godfather” filmmaker, revolves around the destruction of a New York-like city and the conflicting visions of two men. Adam Driver portrays an ambitious architect at odds with the city’s mayor, played by Giancarlo Esposito. Caught in the midst of this conflict is the mayor’s daughter, portrayed by Nathalie Emmanuel.
Coppola originally penned the script in the 1980s and invested over $100 million of his own money into the production in order to bring the film to life. Filming wrapped up last March, with an interim waiver granted during the dueling WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike to allow Coppola and the crew to promote the picture.
The cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Chloe Fineman, Isabelle Kusman from “Licorice Pizza,” D.B. Sweeney, and newcomer Bailey Ives, in addition to previously announced actors Talia Shire, LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzmann, Grace Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, James Remar, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Laurence Fishburne.
The film currently does not have a distributor, but it did have a screening for friends and industry insiders that reportedly garnered a mixed response.
This isn't Coppola's first time at the Croisette in France. His 1966 comedy “You’re a Big Boy Now” was featured at the festival, and two of his films have won the Palme d’Or, making him one of only 10 directors to win Cannes’ top prize twice. His first Palme winner was his drama “The Conversation,” which won in 1974, while his Vietnam epic “Apocalypse Now” premiered at Cannes as a work in progress in 1979 and tied for the Palme with “The Tin Drum.” Other Cannes appearances include the recut “Apocalypse Now Redux,” which screened in Cannes in 1995.
A prestigious Cannes spot is hoped to help 'Megalopolis' secure a distributor.
Deadline first reported the news.
