Francis Ford Coppola has revealed the first look at Megalopolis, his self-funded sci-fi epic starring 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.
A project decades in the making, Coppola financed much of the $120 million film himself. The film is set to premiere at Cannes in May, but has yet to secure a US release.
Megalopolis is described as “a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”
Megalopolis marks Coppola’s first directorial effort in 13 years. Known for films such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Outsiders, he last directed Twixt in 2011.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with the film’s first trailer.