MEGALOPOLIS Trailer (2024) Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver

MEGALOPOLIS Trailer (2024) Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver

MEGALOPOLIS Trailer (2024) Adam Driver, Francis Ford Coppola, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf
© 2024 - American Zoetrope
Adam Driver is on the edge in the first official teaser for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”

“Megalopolis,” which will premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project years in the making for the director, who first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s. The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film.

When asked by GQ about the potential repercussions of self-funding such a massive endeavor, the director responded, “I couldn’t care less about the financial impact whatsoever. It means nothing to me.”

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“Megalopolis” sports an all-star cast, with Driver leading the pack alongside Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.

According to the official synopsis, “‘Megalopolis’ is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”

“It’s a love story that is also a philosophical investigation of the nature of man; it’s set in New York, but a New York steeped in echoes of ancient Rome,” Coppola said of its plot.

Coppola wrote and directed, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman producing.

Watch the full trailer for “Megalopolis” below.

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Adam Driver, Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis
The official teaser trailer for the upcoming movie Megalopolis has been revealed and Francis Ford Coppola is teasing the film as his “best work ever.”

The legendary director wrote in the caption of the YouTube video, “Our new film MEGALOPOLIS is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over.”

Adam Driver leads a star-studded cast for the movie, which will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.

Also starring in the movie are Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.

Watch the trailer below!

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Photos: American Zoetrope
Posted to: Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Chloe Fineman, D.B. Sweeney, Dustin Hoffman, Francis Ford Coppola, Giancarlo Esposito, Grace VanderWaal, James Remar, Jason Schwartzman, Jon Voight, Kathryn Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Megalopolis, Movies, Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia LaBeouf, Talia Shire, Trailer
Francis Ford Coppola has been teasing up for decades on Megalopolis, his longtime passion project that is almost at the finish line. He told Vanity Fair he first grew inspiration for the film as a child when he saw H.G. Wells’s Things to Come. Coppola further explains that he wasn’t diligently working on this project for all of these years but instead collected inspiration, a.k.a. thought about the Roman Empire a lot, and gathered footage of New York City in the early 2000s, including “heartbreaking images” of September 11.

Coppola financed the $120 million budget himself, selling part of his vineyard, only growing anticipation for the movie. At last, Megalopolis will premiere at Cannes on May 17, later this month, and compete for the Palme d’Or against Kinds of Kindness, Oh, Canada, and more. Here’s everything we know about the movie, including the latest update featuring a teaser trailer before its premiere this weekend.

Who are the citizens of Megalopolis?
Adam Driver stars as Cesar, an architect who plans to rebuild the city to a sustainable utopia after an accident destroys most of Megalopolis. Opposing him is Giancarlo Esposito’s Frank Cicero, who is the mayor and doesn’t want to change a thing. In between both of them is Julia Cicero, played by Nathalie Emmanuel, who’s Frank’s daughter and Cesar’s love interest. The rest of the cast is made up of Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, D. B. Sweeney, James Remar, Chloe Fineman, plus Coppola’s sister Talia Shire, and her son Jason Schwartzman.

Oh, one tiny major detail we forgot: Cesar can freeze time.

Okay, what do you mean he can freeze time?
In the first-look clip released on May 4 (take that, Star Wars!), Cesar (Driver) seems to almost fall to his death off of a building until he yells, “Time stop!” which is oddly reminiscent of a technique used when losing a playground game. Cesar shakes as he is frozen in mid-air and falls back into a standing position.

What about everyone else?
Based on the new teaser trailer released a few days before the movie’s premiere at Cannes, it doesn’t seem like anyone else has superhuman powers. Well, besides like the giant living statues that are dramatically falling down in the rain. Giant statues, they’re just like us! Coppola’s roman influence is peaking through as they tease gladiator races, strappy sandals, and plenty of robes as Cesar contemplates what it means to create a true utopia.

When does it come out?
The movie premieres at Cannes on May 17, but there is no word yet of a worldwide release for the film.
“Our new film ‘Megalopolis’ is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” reads a quote attributed to iconic director Francis Ford Coppola attached to the official trailer for his new epic film.

The picture, which will premiere in competition on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project many years in the making for the director. He first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.

The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film.

The trailer starts with a voice-over musing about the decline of empires – “when does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it” — before cutting to a Roman chariot race, a metropolitan skyscape and scenes of protest.

According to the official synopsis, “‘Megalopolis’ is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”

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“Megalopolis” sports an all-star cast, with Driver leading the pack alongside Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.

Coppola wrote and directed, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman producing. Executive producers are: Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, Darren Demetre.

Watch the trailer here.

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Cannes Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis
"Time stop!!" The French distributor Le Pacte has released the first look teaser for Megalopolis, unveiling the very first reveal of any actual footage from this intriguing new movie. Megalopolis is director Francis Ford Coppola's latest ambitious project, a $100M+ feature that he has been trying to make ever since he first conceived the film in 1979. The basic setup is: an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. It's not actually NYC, but a giant city like NYC hence the Megalopolis title. The architect's plan is opposed by the mayor, who has other ideas for the city. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition in a few weeks (we'll be there!), which is why France gets to kick off the marketing. The Megalopolis ensemble cast includes Adam Driver as Caesar, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grave Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. This teaser is just one scene from the film with Adam Driver on top of a building (that looks like the Chrysler Building) & that's it so far.

Here's the official first look teaser clip for Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, direct from YouTube:

Megalopolis Teaser Trailer

Megalopolis Teaser Trailer

An accident destroys a New York City-like metropolis already in decay. Cesar, an idealist, aims to rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia, while the venal mayor, Frank Cicero, has other plans. Coming between the opposing men and their visions is Frank's socialite daughter, Julia. Tired of the attention and power she was born with, Julia searches for her life's meaning. Megalopolis is written and directed by the legendary American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, his 23rd feature film, director of many other films including The Godfather Trilogy Part I-III, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, One from the Heart, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue Got Married, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jack, The Rainmaker, Youth Without Youth, Tetro, and Twixt previously. It's also produced by Coppola, with Michael Bederman and Barry J. Hirsch. Made by Coppola's company American Zoetrope. The film is premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition this May. No US release date has been set yet. Le Pacte will debut Coppola's Megalopolis in French cinemas in September this year. First impression? Who's intrigued?

"Time stop!!" The French distributor Le Pacte has released the first look teaser for Megalopolis, unveiling the very first reveal of any actual footage from this intriguing new movie. Megalopolis is director Francis Ford Coppola's latest ambitious project, a $100M+ feature that he has been trying to make ever since he first conceived the film in 1979. The basic setup is: an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. It's not actually NYC, but a giant city like NYC hence the Megalopolis title. The architect's plan is opposed by the mayor, who has other ideas for the city. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition in a few weeks (we'll be there!), which is why France gets to kick off the marketing. The Megalopolis ensemble cast includes Adam Driver as Caesar, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grave Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. This teaser is just one scene from the film with Adam Driver on top of a building (that looks like the Chrysler Building) & that's it so far.

An accident destroys a New York City-like metropolis already in decay. Cesar, an idealist, aims to rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia, while the venal mayor, Frank Cicero, has other plans. Coming between the opposing men and their visions is Frank's socialite daughter, Julia. Tired of the attention and power she was born with, Julia searches for her life's meaning. Megalopolis is written and directed by the legendary American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, his 23rd feature film, director of many other films including The Godfather Trilogy Part I-III, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, One from the Heart, The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue Got Married, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jack, The Rainmaker, Youth Without Youth, Tetro, and Twixt previously. It's also produced by Coppola, with Michael Bederman and Barry J. Hirsch. Made by Coppola's company American Zoetrope. The film is premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition this May. No US release date has been set yet. Le Pacte will debut Coppola's Megalopolis in French cinemas in September this year. First impression? Who's intrigued?

The first new trailer clip for Megalopolis has been released.
The clip follows Adam Driver's Cesar as he climbs onto the roof of a building and displays time-bending powers.
The movie delves into themes of ambition, power, and human resilience in a futuristic metropolis.
The first look at Megalopolis has been revealed via a new trailer. The upcoming movie is a long-gestating work from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, whose last movie was 2011's Twixt. The project, on which the filmmaker has spent more than $100 million of his own money, is an original science fiction movie that will follow the drama surrounding attempts to rebuild a city that has been destroyed by a major disaster and boasts an ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, and Dustin Hoffman.

On the newly created Francis Ford Coppola YouTube account, a first-look trailer clip for the upcoming Megalopolis has been released. Check it out below:

The slow-burn clip depicts Adam Driver's character Cesar cautiously climbing out onto the roof of a futuristic building. As he steps one foot over the ledge and begins to fall, he shouts “Time stop!” He freezes and nervously reverses his near fall. Then he snaps his fingers and the city restarts, with the clip ending on a shot of him contemplating the incredible feat he has just performed.

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Adam Driver as Cesar Standing on a Building's Roof in Megalopolis
This first-look clip at the movie, which premieres on May 17 at the Cannes Film Festival while awaiting proper distribution, offers a great deal of insight into the movie and Cesar's character in particular. So far, details have been thin as to the characters that the Megalopolis cast will be playing. While it was previously revealed that Cesar was an idealist hoping to build a sustainable city, the fact that he has the kind of power showcased in the clip adds a huge wrinkle to the story.

Francis Ford Coppola speaking
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This clip helps clarify what kind of subgenre of science fiction Megalopolis will inhabit. While it has long been described as a sci-fi thriller, the umbrella of the genre could have simply been applied to a fairly routine dystopian story. However, the fact that Cesar has these time-bending powers, and the fact that they are so developed during what seems to be the first time they are being tested, means that the mechanics of the plot will function in an entirely different way than an average dystopian thriller.

This time-bending twist could potentially help make the project more commercial...

While it is unknown how many, if any, of the other characters in Megalopolis will display similar powers, the movie now seems somewhat closer to a superhero blockbuster than a traditional drama. Coppola's strong directorial hand, and the fact that the story was developed more than 40 years ago, will likely prevent the movie from feeling like a clone of the Marvel movies that have dominated the box office in recent years. However, this time-bending twist could potentially help make the project more commercial, in addition to complicating the interpersonal drama at the center of the story.

Source: Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola attends the Telluride Film Festival on September 04, 2021 in Telluride, Colorado.VIVIEN KILLILEA/GETTY IMAGES

Buzz continues to grow for Megalopolis, the decades-in-the-making movie from director Francis Ford Coppola. The movie, which the 85-year-old director funded himself, has yet to find a U.S. distributor. With first-look photos released earlier this week, as well as today’s trailer, its fortunes might soon change: according to Coppola, the $120 million epic will be offered up to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival, where it will officially premiere in competition on May 16.

The movie boasts a vast cast that includes Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, and Laurence Fishburne. What it’s about is far harder to quantify: writing to Vanity Fair, the director cited H.G. Wells, the September 11 attacks, and a 63 BC battle between Roman politician Cicero and an insurrectionist named Catiline.

Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in the first official image from Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. COURTESY OF AMERICAN ZOETROPE / MEGALOPOLIS / MIHAI MALAIMARE.
“The story would take place in a somewhat stylized New York City, portrayed as the center of the power of the world, and Cicero would be the mayor during a time of great financial upheaval, such as the financial crisis under former Mayor Dinkins,” the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now wrote to explain the 40-year evolution of his Megalopolis script.

“Cesar, in turn, would be a master builder, a great architect, designer, and scientist combining elements of Robert Moses, as portrayed in the brilliant biography The Power Broker, with architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, or Walter Gropius.”

We don’t see any of that in the clip, which shows a black-clad Driver stepping off the edge of a domed skyscraper and then seemingly stopping time. Those who attended an April screening in Los Angeles might have more insight into how the teaser might play into the final film, in which Driver’s character—an architect intent on rebuilding a ruined city—goes up against a corrupt mayor (Esposito) who prefers the status quo.

This post has been updated.

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