Francis Ford Coppola’s $120m passion project Megalopolis ‘mired in production problems’

Megalopolis, the self-financed and long-gestated sci-fi epic by Francis Ford Coppola, is in jeopardy, people close to the film have claimed, reporting massive crew strikes and a budget that is rapidly skyrocketing to half the production. production.

The eye-catching film features big names like Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf, and centers on an architect who seeks to rebuild New York City after a disaster.

Having financed the $120 million passion project himself, the legendary director is now in danger of missing a strict March deadline, sources said, and is making a number of changes to save the production.

The frantic, last-ditch effort comes halfway through the film’s 80-90 day shoot, and as the inner-city Atlanta set has sunk ‘chaos.’

Coppola, however, is no stranger to this kind of mess, having run into trouble during the filming of his masterpiece Apocalypse Now, during which the now 83-year-old director worried the film was a “flop.” ” due to problems.

Coppola is no stranger to a chaotic scenario, as he runs into trouble while filming his seminal masterpiece Apocalypse Now. The director is seen here during the filming of the seminal war film in the Philippines over 50 years ago in 1976.

But that was over 50 years ago, and times have changed since Coppola’s seminal masterpiece.

Speaking anonymously to The Hollywood Reporter, sources described how the director, who has never made an effects-heavy movie, had first sought to use the expensive virtual technology seen in productions like The Mandalorian, before costs spiraled out of control.

To salvage Coppola’s bottom line, the crews have reportedly reverted to more traditional green screens, leaving what the filmmaker has touted as a philosophical “love story” to likely be less visually impressive than he had planned.

Sources also revealed that the five-time Academy Award winner, whose impressive body of work also includes Bram Stoker’s The Godfather Trilogy and Dracula, laid off nearly his entire visual effects team for filming last month.

Multiple Stars: The film stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Chloe Fineman, Madeleine Gardella and Isabelle Kusman, all seen here on set in Atlanta in November.

Logline: The plot of Megalopolis is described as “an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia after a devastating disaster,” but the 82-year-old filmmaker calls his dream project “a love story.”

The plot of Megalopolis is described as “an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia after a devastating disaster,” but the 82-year-old filmmaker calls his dream project “a love story.”

‘A woman is torn between loyalties to two men. But not just two men. Each man comes with a philosophical principle,” Francisco explained to G.Q. in February.

“One is her father, who raised her, who taught her Latin on his lap and is devoted to a much more classical view of society, the Marcus Aurelius kind of view. The other, who is the lover, is an enemy of the father but is dedicated to a much more progressive “Let’s jump into the future, let’s jump over all this garbage that has contaminated humanity for 10K years. Let’s find out what they really are, that they are a species enlightened, friendly and cheerful”.

Coppola, who had wanted to make Megalopolis since 1982, sold off a portion of his wine empire to self-finance the film, which will be the first to be shot on the Prysm Stages’ LED volume set.

The legendary Godfather director also cast his younger sister Talia Shire, nephew Jason Schwartzman and Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman (despite resurfaced sexual assault allegations).

Francis’ star-studded ensemble also includes Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Forest Whitaker, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver, Grace VanderWaal, James Remar and DB Sweeney.

‘High-tech’: Coppola, who had wanted to make Megalopolis since 1982, sold a portion of his wine empire to self-finance the film, which will be the first to be shot in the LED volume of Prysm Stages. stage