'Megalopolis' trivia and fun facts
DEBUT
This is Francis Ford Coppola's first sci-fi movie, besides adding new footage to 'Battle Beyond the Sun' and his uncredited involvement with 'Supernova'.
PAID OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET
Francis Ford Coppola financed the entire $120 million film out of his own pocket. He had done the same with 'Apocalypse Now' and 'One From the Heart', and the failure of the latter made him declare bankruptcy. All his subsequent films up to 'The Rainmaker' were made to pay off his debts.
The movie script
Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script in 1980, but the movie was kept in the background because of his financial debts. The preproduction started in 2001 after filming 30 hours of material and making a table read with actors Paul Newman, Uma Thurman, Robert De Niro, James Gandolgini, Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russel Crowe, Edie Falco and Kevin Spacey. But the project was postponed after the 11-S attacks, since the story was centered on the destruction of New York. Coppola abandoned the project in 2007, and didn't begin developing it until 2019.
USUAL SUSPECTS
Aubrey Plaza and Jason Schwartzman's four collaboration together after 'Funny People', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'.
CHANGE IN THE CAST
In the beginning of 2022, Zendaya, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Caan and Jessica Lange were announced as starring in the lead roles. They all dropped out eventually and later replaced by Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Grace VanderWaal, James Remar, and Kathryn Hunter.
REUNION
This is Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight's first movie together since 'Midnight Cowboy'.
LONG PRODUCTION PERIODS
This marks the ninth time Adam Driver appeared in a film that had been in development hell for over a decade, after 'Lincoln', the Star Wars sequel trilogy, 'Silence', 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote', 'The Last Duel'), 'House of Gucci', 'White Noise' and 'Ferrari'.