Culture news After 45 years and 120 million dollars, this sci-fi film by Francis Ford Coppola challenges Dune 2 by Denis Villeneuve in 2024
While he hasn’t released anything since “Twixt” in 2011, Francis Ford Coppola would be back this year with a science fiction project that he has been planning for more than 45 years. Why did this work take so long to see the light of day, and will it stand up to Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster?
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A risky bet for Francis Ford Coppola
If we ask you to give us the name of a science fiction film that took a very, very long time to come out, your first instinct will probably be to name the second part of the saga Avatar of James Cameronwhich put almost exactly 13 years to see the light of day. But know that there is a SF project that took even longer to come to fruition, and it is Megalopolisthe next film from Francis Ford Coppola. Indeed, Coppola working on writing this work since the 80sor even before, since according to Laurence Fishburne (Matrix, Hannibal), the American director was already talking about it on the set of Apocalypse Now in 1979.
But today, Megalopolis is closer than ever, since Coppola reportedly plans to release it theatrically by fall 2024, and rumors are swirling about a premiere showing at Cannes film festival next May 14. Releasing a science fiction film the same year as Dune 2 of Denis Villeneuve is risky, especially since it is a first for Francis Ford Coppola who had never carried out a SF project until today, but given the efforts undertaken by Coppola for this project to see the light of day, everything suggests that Megalopolis could well remain in memory.
What is Megalopolis?
Megalopolisit’s the project of a lifetime for Francis Ford Coppola. In a world where a catastrophe has ravaged New York City, Julia Ciceroembodied by Nathalie Emmanuel (Game Of Thrones), is divided between her loyalty to her father and her devotion to her partner. Caesarthe man with whom she shares her life and to whom Adam Driver (Star Wars) lends his features, is an architect who wishes to rebuild New York from scratch to make it a utopia. But Frank Cicerothe father of Julia interpreted by Forest Whitaker (First contact), is also the mayor of the city, and is totally opposed to the progressive vision of Caesar.
In addition to being at the origin of the scenario and the direction, Coppola was forced to finance the entire project itself after several refusals due to the failure of Heart stroke (One from the Heart in original version) in 1982, another production financed by Coppola. With a budget of more than $120 million For Megalopolisthe bill is steep, but Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t seem very worried, and the success of science fiction films in recent years could be the cause. Although many might sigh at the idea of another project set in a post-apocalyptic universe, Coppola considered Megalopolis as an optimistic representation of the future of society, and this angle could well be enough to set his work apart from others.
If you are a fan of science fiction, several SF films have joined the catalog of Prime Video this month, including First contact with Forest Whitakeso consider taking a look!
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