Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola may be “unsellable”, as several insiders have defined it in recent weeks (none of these have explained why it is unsellable, however), but it is also one of the most anticipated films in the recent history of American cinema. An expectation also confirmed by the first image and above all by the first teaser trailer of the film, the latter published by Coppola himself on his Instagram profile. Accompanying the teaser is a dedication to his wife Eleanor, who died on April 12, just in the days in which the world premiere of the film at the next Cannes Film Festival was confirmed. «Megalopolis I always wanted it dedicated to my beloved Eleanor. I was hoping to celebrate her birthday with her, May 4th [il post di Coppola è appunto del 4 di maggio, ndr]. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible, and so I decided to share with all of you this gift that I wanted to give her.”
The trailer tells us very little about this film that we already know practically nothing about. There is Adam Driver, the protagonist of the story of Megalopolis, coming out of a window overlooking the top of a skyscraper and approaching the edge of the building. Then, suddenly, time stops and the force of gravity dissolves: Driver counts to three with the fingers of his right hand and as soon as he finishes counting the forces of the universe return to exert their function. Who is the character played by Driver? We also know little about this: he is an architect who wants to transform the New York of the future into an American utopia and save it from the evil machinations of the mayor played by Giancarlo Esposito. With him, with Driver, there is Nathalie Emmanuel (actress best known for playing Missandei in Game of Thrones and Ramsey in Fast & Furious), in a role about which, once again, we know nothing.
One certainty about Megalopolis but we have it: it could be the last film of Coppola’s career. Both because the director is now of a certain age – 85 years old – and has himself admitted that this is not a job for old people. And both because, above all, Megalopolis it is the project that could almost literally bankrupt Coppola (who is no stranger to recklessness of this type: it has already happened to him in the past with A day long dream), That Megalopolis he self-produced it by spending 120 million dollars taken from his bank account or obtained with loans that he personally underwrote. Without considering the time that Coppola took to write the screenplay of the film (he told everything in an interview with Vanity Fair). In short, it could really be the last film of his career. But judging by these first images, it was also the greatest – entirely personal – success of his life.
