In the first teaser of Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi saga «Megalopolis», the lead actor Adam Driver behaves strangely on the roof, balancing on the very edge. The scene may cause slight discomfort to those who are afraid of heights.
Coppola has been preparing «Megalopolis», which will premiere in the competition program of the Cannes Film Festival, for 23 years, and according to other sources, he started working on the script in the 1980s. The director of «The Godfather» and «Apocalypse Now» invested $120 million of his own money in the film.
«I don’t care about the financial impact at all. It means nothing to me,» Coppola told GQ.
According to the official synopsis, «Megalopolis» — is a Roman epic saga set in an imaginary modern America. The city of New Rome is about to change, sparking a conflict between Caesar Catiline (Adam Driver), a brilliant artist who longs for a utopian, idealistic future, and his opponent, Mayor Franklin Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to the conservative status quo, ruled by greed, self-interest, and guerrilla warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Natalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter.
«It’s a love story that is also a philosophical exploration of human nature. It’s set in New York, but in a New York that’s riddled with echoes of ancient Rome,» Coppola said of the story.
«Megalopolis» is written and directed by Coppola himself, and produced by Fred Rus, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman. The movie features a star-studded cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Natalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney and Dustin Hoffman.
Source: Variety