Megalopolis: Cast, plot and more for Francis Ford Coppola's new film

One of the most famous directors returns to the screen in 2024 with a hit. The Megalopolis premiere isn't a day you want to miss on your calendar, and we've got all the details right here.

Francis Ford Coppola, known for some of the best films of all time, has not directed a feature film since Distant Vision in 2016.

His new films were negatively received compared to the heights he reached in the '70s with films like Apocalypse Now and The Godfather. Nevertheless, rumors about the scale and cast of Megalopolis have created hype.

2024 could be his big comeback year (although we argue he doesn't need a year with a legacy like that), so let's break down Megalopolis.

Contents:

Is there a release date for Megalopolis?

Megalopolis will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2024 and will be released in French cinemas in September. There is no worldwide release date still.

Independent company Le Pacte will distribute the film in France, while the film secures dates in other territories. Countries with deals include the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

It was a long, rocky road to Megalopolis: Coppola spent 40 years shelving the project and using millions of his own money to finance the project. Now the sci-fi epic is expected to premiere in 2024 after competing at Cannes.

Megalopolis occupation

Adam Driver leads the Megalopolis cast, including actors Nathalie Emmanuel, Grace VanderWaal, Shia LaBeouf and Zendaya completes it.

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Coppola has said that star power matters when it comes to film financing, so it makes sense that he would include Driver. Known for both Star Wars films and indie dramas, Driver is a household name with a lot of credibility.

Giancarlo Esposito is the corrupt mayor. If you've seen his villainous skills in films like The Mandalorian, you know he's more than capable.

Nathalie Emmanuel is the mayor's daughter, Julia, who is not enjoying the life she inherited. You may know her from the cast of Game of Thrones.

Transformers actor and Peanut Butter Falcon star Shia LaBeouf has been cast in 2022's Megalopolis.

Hold on tight, this full list of actors released on the Cannes Festival website is… mega.

Full Megalopolis cast list:

• Adam Driver as Cesar Catiline
• Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero
• Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero
• Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum
• Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher
• Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III
• Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz
• Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catiline
• Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater
• Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine
• Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero
• Dustin Hoffman as Nush “The Fixer” Berman
• Sonia Ammar
• Chloe Fineman
• Madeleine Gardella
• Balthazar Getty
• Bailey Ives
• Isabelle Kusman
• James Remar
• DB Sweeney
• Zendaya

Megalopolis plot

Megalopolis is a Roman Epic science fiction film set in a destroyed New York City, which an idealistic architect who can control time wants to rebuild as a utopia.

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Architect Cesar Caitilina (Driver) is opposed by a corrupt mayor who wants to maintain a regressive status quo. Pulled in two directions is the mayor's daughter, Julia (Emmanuel), a socialite in search of the meaning of life.

Coppola came up with the idea while filming “Apocalypse Now” in 1977. Inspired by classic films like “Metropolis” and “Things to Come,” he wanted to make a science fiction opera film with New York as the main character.

Writing a script and several attempts to get Megalopolis off the ground took place over the next few decades (Nicolas Cage, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio even did table reads), but Coppola finally landed on the final version in 2019, when he spent $120 million to revive it.

“I remember once taking 130 blank pages and putting up a front page with the bold announcement of 'Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis,'” he told Vanity Fair. “I pretended it wasn't completely empty, weighed it in my hands so I could imagine what it would feel like one day and believe that one day it might exist. Later, when I had a draft, I must have rewrote it 300 times, hoping that each rewrite would improve it, even by half a percent.”

Is there a Megalopolis trailer?

The first footage from Megalopolis was released on May 4, 2024, but There is no full trailer.