More than two decades after the setback of 9/11, Francis Ford Coppola announced the cast of his long-awaited film “Megalopolis.” The cast will be led by Adam Driver and also feature a star-studded cast Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne along with Forest Whitaker and Nathalie Emmanuel.
This will mark a huge come back to the cinema of Coppola for Fishburne, he started his acting career in the iconic film, “Apocalypse Now” in 1979. Reportedly, $100 million budget is self-funding by Coppola after he sold off a portion of his wine company. “Megalopolis” has set in modern-day America, aftermath of a devastating disaster, where an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia. The 82-year-old filmmaker has confirmed that the story will get to explore timely themes, while also featuring Roman epic influences.
Coppola told Deadline in a recent interview: “What would make me really happy? It’s not winning a lot of Oscars because I already have a lot and maybe more than I deserve. And it’s not that I make a lot of money, although I think over time it will make a lot of money because anything that the people keep looking at and finding new things, that makes money. So somewhere down the line, way after I’m gone, all I want is for them to discuss [Megalopolis] and, is the society we’re living in the only one available to us? How can we make it better? Education, mental health? What the movie really is proposing is that utopia is not a place. It’s how can we make everything better? Every year, come up with two, three or four ideas that make it better. I would be smiling in my grave if I thought something like that happened, because people talk about what movies really mean if you give them something.
If you encouraged people to discuss marriage and education and health and justice and opportunities and freedom and all these wonderful things that human beings have conceived of. And ask the question, how can we make it even better? That would be great. Because I bet you they would make it better if they had that conversation.
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Ever since his initial concept in 1980’s, there have been many attempts from Coppola tried to start the production, however, due to some unforeseen setbacks including the 9/11 attacks, but despite his setbacks, he will intend to finally finish his project.