I never thought I’d see the day where the guy who spearheaded two of the most influential films in the history of American cinema got in on a throwaway social media trend—in only the way a man of Francis Ford Coppola’s generation and character could, mind you—but I’ve phoned in the bingo card at this point, so just as well.
Now, I refuse to believe that any of the men in my life have sincerely offered even a passing thought to the Roman Empire, and I tend to think the same of pretty much everyone that’s participated in this trend so far—at least, I did until I heard what Coppola had to say.
In a recent Instagram post, the 84-year-old filmmaker revealed that he was no stranger to thinking about the Roman Republic, noting how the nuances of the empire not only inspired his upcoming passion project Megalopolis, but also the more modern, heinous ins and outs of the inner workings of the United States (themselves another key influence on Megalopolis). Indeed, could there be anything more dissonantly appropriate than Francis Ford Coppola using an inconsequential internet joke to soberingly muse on the dire state of politics?
Exactly how much of the crime scene for the murder of constitutional democracy will play into Megalopolis is anyone’s guess, but considering the decades of work Coppola has put into this movie, to say nothing of its monstrous ensemble, it’s at least safe to say that not a single detail will be left to chance here.
A sci-fi drama epic, Megalopolis stars Nathalie Emmanuel as a woman literally and ideologically torn between her classically-minded father (Forest Whitaker) and visionary architect of a lover (Adam Driver) after the collapse of New York City. Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, and Giancarlo Esposito also feature.
At the time of writing, Megalopolis is due sometime in 2024.
(featured image: Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
