The trailer gives a glimpse into the grandeur and visual impact of Francis Ford Coppola’s science-fiction film.
The $120 million sci-fi production Megalopolis has been a passion project for Francis Ford Coppola for over four decades. Known for his legendary films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Coppola seems poised to make cinematic history once again with Megalopolis.
The film premieres on Thursday, out of competition, at the Cannes Film Festival. “Our new film Megalopolis is the best work I’ve ever had the honour to lead,” Coppola recently told the US magazine Variety. So dedicated is Coppola to his project that he financed it with his own money.
The trailer opens with a voice-over narrator reflecting on when empires fall, when the moment comes for them to collapse, leaving nothing but the ashes from which a new future can be forged. Coppola likened the film to a Roman tragedy, and the trailer’s subtitle reads: “A Fable.”
The plot revolves around the city of New Rome, which must transform, leading to conflicts between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a brilliant artist striving for a utopian, idealistic future, and his adversary, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who clings to a regressive status quo, maintaining greed, special interests, and partisan warfare.
Caught in the middle is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar tests her loyalty and forces her to decide what humanity truly deserves.
Star-Studded Cast
Alongside Driver, Esposito, and Emmanuel, the main cast includes 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.
Coppola wrote the script and directed the film himself.