New Megalopolis Trailer Previews Francis Ford Coppola’s Epic Vision

Francis Ford Coppola has released the new trailer for Megalopolis, a sci-fi epic and passion project for the Oscar-winning director.

The trailer comes weeks after Lionsgate released a trailer that included fake quotes from movie critics who negatively reviewed some of Coppola’s most famous works, like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Lionsgate pulled the trailer and issued an apology.

Check out the new Megalopolis trailer below

What Happens in the Megalopolis Trailer?

“Don’t let the now destroy the forever,” Adam Driver’s Cesar Catilina says in the trailer’s opening moments. The new footage highlights the depth and scope of New Rome, a city in an imagined Modern America.

“The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare,” the official synopsis reads. “Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”

Megalopolis also stars Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.

Coppola writes, directs, and produces Megalopolis, a project he’s been developing for over 40 years. Additional producers include Barry Hirsch, Fred Roos, and Michael Bederman. Coppola famously sold a portion of his winery to self-finance the film’s $120 million budget.

Megalopolis premiered to mixed reviews at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. After struggling to find major studio backing, Lionsgate signed an agreement in June 2024 to distribute the film. However, Coppola agreed to pay for the marketing costs.

Megalopolis will be released on September 27, 2024.