‘Megalopolis’ First Look: Francis Ford Coppola’s Epic Sci-Fi Drama

In the first-look clip for Francis Ford Coppola’s highly anticipated film ‘Megalopolis‘, Adam Driver showcases his remarkable ability to control time as the visionary architect Cesar Catilina. The nearly two-and-a-half-minute video depicts Driver’s character standing atop a skyscraper, contemplating a leap, before dramatically shouting “Time stop” and freezing the cars below him in their tracks.

This mind-bending sequence offers a tantalizing glimpse into the grand scale and ambitious scope of Coppola’s long-gestating passion project. Set in a modern-day American metropolis, ‘Megalopolis’ follows the conflict between Catilina, an artist who dreams of rebuilding the city into a utopian paradise, and the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who is determined to maintain the regressive status quo.

Torn between these two forces is Cicero’s daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), who finds herself romantically entangled with Catilina despite her father’s opposition. The film’s star-studded ensemble also includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, and Dustin Hoffman, among others.

Coppola, the legendary director behind classics like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” has been developing Megalopolis for nearly four decades, rewriting the script an astounding 300 times in his quest for perfection. The $120 million production, self-financed by the director through the sale of his wine empire, will make its highly anticipated debut at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17.

Despite the challenges of securing distribution, the first-look footage has already generated significant buzz, with some industry insiders expressing enthusiasm for Coppola’s ambitious vision. As the world eagerly awaits the unveiling of this cinematic epic, the promise of Adam Driver’s time-bending performance and Coppola’s singular storytelling prowess have set the stage for a truly unforgettable cinematic experience.