Megalopolis: Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project scores an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is getting good news today after scoring an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA. Details about the deal remain a mystery, and outlets could not reach Coppola’s representatives for comment. However, Deadline says the accord could set up a market sale or screenings at upcoming festivals for publicity purposes.

Ferrari star Adam Driver leads the cast, with Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, DB Sweeney, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Bailey Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar.

Described by Coppola as a contemporary drama, Megalopolis focuses on the fate of Rome as it haunts a modern world unable to solve its social problems in an epic story of political ambition, genius, and conflicting interests.

Francis Ford Coppola started to write Megalopolis in the 1980s. Still, he recognized that it would require a huge budget to match its massive scope, so it sat on a shelf for decades until he finally decided to give it another shot in 2001. Coppola began shooting second-unit footage but pulled the plug after the 9/11 attacks. As the story revolved around the reconstruction of New York City following a major disaster, he felt that such a project would not sit well with audiences soon after the real-life tragedy.

“The concept of the film is a Roman epic, in the traditional Cecile B. DeMille or Ben-Hur way, but told as a modern counterpart focusing on America,” Coppola previously told Deadline. “It’s based on The Catiline Conspiracy, which comes to us from ancient Rome. This was a famous duel between a patrician, Catiline, and that part will be played by Oscar Isaac, and the famous Cicero, who will be Forest Whitaker. He is now the beleaguered mayor of New York, during a financial crisis, close to the one that Mayor Dinkins had. This story takes place in a new Rome, a Roman epic set in modern times. The time set is not a specific year in modern New York, it’s an impression of modern New York, which I call New Rome.”

Forward momentum can only mean good things for Megalopolis. We’ll monitor the film’s progress and report any updates as they happen. Are you excited about Megalopolis eventually coming to screens? Let us know in the comments below.