In contrast to his film colleagues from the 70s Martin Scorsese And Steven SpielbergIt has been many years since Frances Ford Coppola has had a definite success in Hollywood. He has not yet achieved the career resurgence that Scorcese has and has struggled to produce consistently high-quality work like Spielberg.
And yet everything could change with “Big city.“ After concluding a distribution agreement with Lionsgate Movies (for which he had to raise $20 million out of his own pocket) and a deal with IMAX for a limited release, it looks like moviegoers will get a chance to see the $100 million, self-funded epic that divided audiences when it premiered at Cannes.
READ MORE: Lionsgate to bring Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ to the US in September
What makes this film different? For one thing, the cast is probably the most mainstream selection of actors Coppola has had in one of his films in a long time. The cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, DB SweeneyAnd Dustin Hoffman. The film was written, directed and produced by Coppola. Executive producers are Barrie M. Osborne (“The Matrix”, “Lord of the rings“) And Darren M. Demetre (“Swear words”, “The Bling Ring”).
“Megalopolis” is about an architect, Cesar Catilina (Driver), who wants to rebuild a city called New Rome as a utopia after a devastating catastrophe. Standing in his way is a corrupt mayor named Franklyn Cicero (Esposito), who wants to maintain the status quo. Between them stands Cicero’s daughter Julia (Emmanuel), who is in love with Cesar.
Here is the summary:
Megalopolis is a Roman fable set in an imaginary modern America. The city of New Rome is forced to change, leading to conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who wants to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opponent, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains loyal to a regressive status quo and upholds greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties and forces her to explore what she believes humanity truly deserves.
Lionsgate Films will release “Megalopolis” in theaters on September 27. You can watch the trailer below:
