Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded feature Megalopolis has revealed a first look image after landing a Cannes competition berth.
The first official image from Megalopolis reveals Driver eyeing a rebuilding of the City of New Rome, while Nathalie Emmanuel, as Julia Cicero, the socialite daughter of Mayor Cicero, looks on.
Megalopolis is structured as a Roman epic fable set in an imagined modern America.
To rebuild New Rome, Julia Cicero ultimately comes between a Cesar Catilina she falls in love with and Frank Cicero whom she remains loyal to as her father, as the two men battle with competing visions.
The film will screen in competition in Cannes on May 17 in a gala premiere at the 77th annual festival.
Recently, the film had a screening for potential buyers, with Universal’s Donna Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Sony’s Tom Rothman in attendance at Universal CityWalk.
The ensemble cast for Megalopolis includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman and Talia Shire.
Coppola directed, wrote and produced the film, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman producing.
Following its acceptance into the Cannes competition, Francis Ford Coppola’s independently funded film Megalopolis has released a first look photo.
With two opposing visions colliding—one from idealist architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and the other from corrupt Mayor Frank Cicero (played by Giancarlo Esposito—the project centers on the reconstruction of a metropolis after it has fallen into decline.
In the first official photo from Megalopolis, Driver is seen considering a reconstruction of the City of New Rome as socialite Julia Cicero, Mayor Cicero’s daughter, watches from Nathalie Emmanuel. Megalopolis is organized as a fable reminiscent of a Roman epic, but set in a futuristic America.
As the two men struggle with opposing visions to rebuild New Rome, Julia Cicero ultimately finds herself torn between Frank Cicero, to whom she remains devoted as her father, and Cesar Catilina, with whom she falls in love.
At the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival, the movie will have its grand premiere on May 17 in the competition section.
A substantial chunk of Coppola’s wine empire was sold to help finance the project, which he started writing in 1983 and is estimated to have cost $120 million. At a recent screening of the movie at Universal CityWalk, Ted Sarandos from Netflix, Donna Langley from Universal, and Tom Rothman from Sony were present as prospective buyers. Although the director has expressed his desire for an Imax release, it is still looking for distribution.
Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, and Aubrey Plaza make up the ensemble cast of Megalopolis. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Coppola; Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, and Michael Bederman served as producers.
Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, and Darren Demetre share executive producer credit.
