The first look at Francis Ford Coppola’s curious new movie has been released (Picture: American Zoetrope)
The first look at iconic Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded $120,000,000 comeback film has been unveiled – and fans have been quick to defend the filmmaker.
Coppola, best known for cinematic masterpieces including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, is set to show new movie Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.
It’s a passion project of Coppola’s that he’s been actively developing for over 40 years – since 1983 – and stars a cast including Adam Driver, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito.
Not a huge amount is known about the film’s plot although its central premise takes inspiration from Ancient Rome, with Driver playing an idealistic architect called Caesar with the power to control time (naturally) who wants to rebuild a New York-esque city into a sustainable utopia after it’s destroyed by an accident.
However, he faces opposition from the city’s corrupt mayor (Esposito).
However, 85-year-old Coppola’s film has raised a lot of eyebrows among critic and industry insiders, who called it everything from ‘unflinching in how bats**t it is’ to ‘baffling’ and even claimed it had ‘zero commercial prospects’.
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These reactions all came from its first screening in March, according to Matthew Belloni’s insider Puck newsletter What I’m Hearing.
Now, film fans have been given their first glimpse at Megalopolis after Coppola released a first-look clip of the film on Saturday.
In it, Driver shuffles out onto the edge of a tall building, sirens blaring in the background, before he takes a step forward out into thin air and yells, ‘Time stop!’
Lowering his arms from in front of his face, he is shown to have frozen everything until he clicks time back into motion and an ominous soundtrack of percussion and ticking clocks plays underneath.
Many fans were unimpressed by their first glimpse of the movie.
Adam Driver plays an architect who can stop time called Caesar (Picture: American Zoetrope)
Coppola, who has been developing Megalopolis for generations, has struggled to secure distribution for the film, which will premiere at Cannes (Picture: Getty)
‘This is one of the worst teaser trailers I’ve seen,’ declared Michael on X, with user Dr Crentist agreeing that they were ‘scratching my head as to why people are claiming that this is brilliant’.
‘What is this?????’ asked @funkositox, while James Hill quipped: ‘I actually know less about this movie now than I did two and a half minutes ago.’
However, others were very much here for the ambitious and mysterious film.
‘You have to ask yourself, am I really gonna doubt the guy who directed The Godfather Trilogy [sic]?! I’m in regardless! Would have liked to seen more but in due time we will,’ pointed out @FilmmakerJeff.
‘Coppola is swinging for the fences one final time. I’m hooked,’ enthused @BlackMajikMan90.
‘Movie of a lifetime incoming,’ insisted Tyler C Whitmore underneath the Megalopolis clip on YouTube, while @1conor added: ‘I’ve been hearing about this film for 30 years, can’t believe it’s here.’
Driver is joined in the cast by the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight and Shia LaBeouf (Picture: American Zoetrope)
Fans may not be utterly convinced by the film’s trailer but they have faith in Coppola’s vision (Picture: American Zoetrope)
Noting the issues that the film is said to be having attracted a studio to distribute it, @sonicsaiyan mused: ‘Imagine being a distribution company and refuse to buy the new movie from a legend like Coppola, what a shame.’
‘And studios didn’t want to buy this, why?! This looks excellent,’ chimed in @MrHreviews on X.
Going one step further, some predicted award success for Coppola off the back of the two-minute clip.
‘I’m already willing to bet this movie is going to win best picture next year,’ suggested @ManuelMattina.
‘Even though Coppola hasn’t made a truly legendary movie since Apocalypse Now, hopefully this can bring him back to his 70s era of perfection.’
The legendary director is responsible for The Godfather films, winning Oscars (Picture: Paramount Pictures)
He also helmed Apocalypse Now (pictured on set with actor Robert Duvall, L) (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)
Coppola is a giant of filmmaking, whose films – both produced and directed – have been nominated for Oscars and are considered among the best in the history of cinema.
The visionary is also considered the patriarch of the Coppola film dynasty, whose other members include his nephew, Nicolas Cage.
He won both best director and best film for The Godfather Part II, but hasn’t made a film since 2011 horror Twixt.
However, his last high-profile project was 1997’s The Rainmaker, starring Matt Damon and Danny DeVito.
After he finished on The Godfather sequel he directed Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The filmmaker also lost his director wife of 61 years, Eleanor Coppola, in April after she died aged 87.
Megalopolis will premiere at Cannes on May 17. A UK release date is yet to be confirmed.
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