Francis Ford Coppola is doing things his way in the trailer for his sci-fi epic Megalopolis.
“True genius is often misunderstood,” the narrator explains in the opening moments. The first 45 seconds of footage are dedicated to the negative reviews Coppola’s most famous films received, including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Memorable quotes from critics flash on the screen for the three films. Pauline Kael of The New Yorker described The Godfather as “diminished by its artsiness,” while Rex Reed of The Daily News called Apocalypse Now an “epic piece of trash.”
After the trip down memory lane, the Megalopolis trailer cuts to Adam Driver’s Cesar Catilina manipulating time on top of a skyscraper. Cesar wishes to update the City of New Rome in an imagined Modern America. Cesar’s vision conflicts with Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who fosters a city of greed and partisan warfare. Stuck between the two forces is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar leaves her with a difficult choice.
“There’s still so much to accomplish, but is there time?” Cesar ponders in the trailer’s final moments.
Megalopolis also stars Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.
Megalopolis is Coppola’s passion project, originally conceived in 1977. Coppola is the writer and director of Megalopolis, producing alongside Barry Hirsch, Fred Roos, and Michael Bederman. Without the backing of a major studio, Coppola self-financed the $120 million budget through his production company, American Zoetrope.
Megalopolis premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Critics were divided on Megalopolis, with many praising the ambitious nature while questioning the confusing story.
In June, Coppola agreed to a deal with Lionsgate Films for domestic distribution rights, though The Godfather director will pay for marketing costs.
Megalopolis is scheduled to be released theatrically on September 27, 2024.
