Francis Ford Coppola’s dream project “Megapolis” is under threat

On the afternoon of January 9, 2023 Hollywood Reporter provided an update on Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megapolis”. Unfortunately, it was not positive. According to the publication, the film’s scenery turned into chaos due to the loss of some key players. Following in the footsteps of the entire visual effects team that Coppola fired from the film in December 2022, production designer Beth Mickle and chief art director David Scott have also reportedly left Megapolis. THR notes that the film is half-finished and production in Atlanta, Georgia is still ongoing, with plans to hire new staff.

At the same time, there is another issue to consider: the budget. In a bold but admirable move, Coppola made it clear from the outset that he was financing Megapolis entirely on his own for the sake of creative freedom. While this seems like a great idea on paper, it didn’t cause a headache. The film became incredibly expensive, to the point that Coppola and his team had to abandon using a method similar to Industrial Light & Magic’s StageCraft technology and use the traditional green screen instead. “You can imagine how much he has already invested. It would be a very bitter pill not to finish it,” an unnamed production manager said of the situation.

On top of that, a talent rep for one of the fired VFX team members called the Megapolis set “absolutely insane”. Can the film turn into Apocalypse Now, becoming an instant classic despite the chaos on set and the negative press? Or will it fizzle out before it’s even finished? We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for Francis Ford Coppola’s next cinematic release.