‘Megalopolis’: Francis Ford Coppola’s Self-Financed Epic Reportedly Faces Issues With Crew Leaving Halfway Through Production

There are many film fans who are excited by the prospect of Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film, “Megalopolis.” Not only does it feature an incredible cast and is the latest work from one of the most iconic American filmmakers of all time, but with Coppola financing it himself, he has full creative control over a feature that he has spent decades trying to get made. Unfortunately, it appears the production of “Megalopolis” has been anything but easy. 

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In a new report from THR, there are details surrounding the myriad difficulties Francis Ford Coppola has dealt with while filming “Megalopolis.” For those unaware, the big-budget, sci-fi film tells the story of an architect who aims to rebuild New York City after a disaster and create a utopia. The all-star cast includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter, Talia Shire, and Dustin Hoffman. However, the 90-day production is only halfway through and there are already some incredible hurdles Coppola is going to have to overcome to bring his film to life.

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The report claims that the extensive visual effects work needed on the film, including the use of technology made popular by “The Mandalorian,” has become a huge issue, resulting in Coppola firing a large number of VFX crew, reportedly leading to the remaining VFX staff leaving. In addition, production designer Beth Mickle and supervising art director David Scott have both left the production, decimating the art crew for the blockbuster film. This has reportedly put the future of the production in peril.

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Even though Coppola is apparently already on the hunt for more people to replace those who have departed, the cost of the film has gone up quite a bit. This is not a terribly shocking thing to happen in a blockbuster, but it’s a huge issue when the director is fully financing the film himself. Originally, the budget was reportedly $120 million, but THR says that cost has “expanded,” with only half of the film shot. 

As mentioned, “Megalopolis” is a project that Coppola has wanted to bring to life for decades. He’s had numerous false starts with studios in the past regarding this film. Fed up with all that time wasted, Coppola has been very public with his desire to finance the film himself just to make sure it finally gets made. Unfortunately, it appears that desire has been tested with these numerous issues surrounding production. 

Does this mean “Megalopolis” is going to crash and burn? Of course not. However, this self-financed blockbuster is proving to be just as difficult to film as it has been to finance. No release date has been set for the film.