Summary

  • French distributor Le Pacte may save the day for Coppola's film, aiding in its Cannes competition goals.
  • Coppola wants a massive theatrical and IMAX release for Megalopolis, which needs French theatrical distribution at the least for its Cannes competition.
  • Coppola has refuted claims that the production was chaotic and that various people quit the film. Megalopolis appears to be an epic passion project for the brilliant director.

Iconic filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola's current project, Megalopolis, has received unwanted attention due to rumors of production issues and press surrounding various studios' reactions to the film. According to the reports, Coppola's upcoming movie has not only struggled with its production, but has also had a hard time gaining enthusiasm and support from studios and potential distributors. Megalopolis is a project that the director spent many years developing before its filming finally began in 2022. As a result, Coppola decided to self-fund the upcoming $120 million epic science fiction drama film to get the project running. Up until today, April 23, its distribution fate had been grim, but Le Pointe notes that Megalopolis may have found its first distributor.

That would be Le Pacte, the French film company founded in 2007. Le Pacte recently had a huge success with the Palme d'Or and Oscar-winning film, Anatomy of a Fall, but has also distributed movies like I, Daniel Blake, Maps to the Stars, The Neon demon, O Mercy!, Paterson, R.M.N., and The Salt of the Earth. They've worked with some of the great directors (Cronenberg, Jarmusch, Loach, Desplechin, Refn, Varda, Moretti, Trier, Mungiu, Wenders, Kore-eda, Ozon), so Coppola would be in good company.

Megalopolis definitely needs French distribution at the very least if it wants to compete at Cannes this year (which it plans to). Cannes' rules stipulate that a film in competition must have a theatrical release in France and can't head to a streaming platform for 17 months. This is what's happened with films like Killers of the Flower Moon and Anatomy of a Fall from the last Cannes Film Festival. Hopefully, Megalopolis gets a solid distribution from Le Pacte, and it will lead to other film companies gaining the confidence to pick up and distribute the film elsewhere.

Adam Driver and the Megalopolis official title
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Francis Ford Coppola Responds to Alleged Problems with Megalopolis

Megalopolis movie from Francis Ford Coppola
Megalopolis (2024)

Main Genre
Sci-Fi

Many have speculated that the production of Megalopolis was a turbulent and disruptive one, something which Coppola and star Adam Driver have pushed back against. Speaking to Deadline in January of 2023, Coppola spoke about Megalopolis and addressed the reports of alleged on-set chaos. The director also talked about the production staff who left the project, which Coppola said was the result of "managing cost."

Coppola stated, "I've never worked on a film where I was so happy with the cast. I am so happy with the look and that we are so on schedule." He added:

"These reports never say who these sources are. To them, I say, ha, ha, just wait and see. Because this is a beautiful film and primarily so because the cast is so great. I've never enjoyed working with a cast who are so hardworking and so willing to go search for the unconventional, to come upon hidden solutions. It is a thrill to work with these actors and the photography is everything I could hope for. The dailies are great. So if we're on schedule, and I love the actors and the look is great, I don't know what anyone's talking about here."

Coppola certainly wants Megalopolis to hit theaters and get as much of an audience as possible. As he told Deadline, "I'm interested in a theatrical release in theaters and IMAX theaters and I am excited about the possibility that, for the first time in history, a movie could open up on the same day everywhere in the world. And that's what my goal is." Coppola then shared his highest goals for the film:

“My first goal was to make a love story with heart, but then you realize it’s about love and disloyalty and every aspect of human life. It echoes many other aspects of human life, like our planet being in danger, but ultimately is a very optimistic film that has faith in the human ability to heal any problem that is put before us."

Watch this space for more information about the release of Megalopolis.