Francis Ford Coppola’s vision for Megalopolis dates all the way back to the making of Apocalypse Now in 1978. Since then, there have been many false starts, with actors dropping out and studios distancing themselves from the project (which the filmmaker was forced to fund himself by selling off his wine empire). Now, though, we finally have a first glimpse of the finished film, via the first official teaser trailer.
Set in a speculative America in the wake of a devastating disaster, Megalopolis stars Adam Driver as Caesar Catalina, an architect (who can also control time) with dreams to build a utopian city atop the ruins of a decaying metropolis based on New York. Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) plays the corrupt mayor of the city, who is opposed to Catalina’s plans, alongside Nathalie Emmanuel as his socialite daughter.
Rounding out the star-studded cast are the likes of Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, and Laurence Fishburne. In the new clips, they can be seen attending glamorous galas, psychedelic parties, protests, and chariot races – future America apparently takes a lot of its aesthetic cues from ancient Rome.
Despite the scale of Megalopolis and its impressive cast, the film is still seeking distribution ahead of its May 17 premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter. After a screening for buyers including Netflix, Universal, and Sony in March, they remained sceptical about its financial viability, with one distributor quoted as saying: “There is just no way to position this movie.” Of course, this will only make many Coppola fans more intrigued about his 40-year passion project.
Watch the new teaser trailer for Megalopolis above.