{"id":157211,"date":"2025-09-20T14:39:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/157211\/"},"modified":"2025-09-20T14:39:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:39:08","slug":"new-documentary-captures-the-chaos-behind-critically-panned-epic-megalopolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/157211\/","title":{"rendered":"New documentary captures the chaos behind critically panned epic ‘Megalopolis’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s \u201cMegalopolis\u201d opened in theaters last September, the dystopian epic baffled audiences and earned the filmmaker a Razzie Award for worst director<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, \u201cMegadoc,\u201d a new documentary being released this weekend, offers audiences a window into the unorthodox and sometimes chaotic set of Coppola\u2019s more than $120 million passion project.<\/p>\n

\u201cMegalopolis,\u201d which is set in a futuristic city inspired by ancient Rome, stars Adam Driver as an ambitious architect, Aubrey Plaza as a ruthless journalist, LaBeouf as Driver\u2019s corrupt cousin, plus Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight and Giancarlo Esposito in other key roles.<\/p>\n

Coppola, who is behind \u201cThe Godfather\u201d and other classics, first conceived of the idea for the film in 1977. He tried to raise financing for the movie for decades before finally deciding to put up his own money from the family wine business. But the movie disappointed audiences after its release and ended up grossing just $14 million domestically. Some critics went so far as calling it \u201ca work of absolute madness,<\/a>\u201d and it ended up being deemed one of the more \u201cdivisive\u201d films of the year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With \u201cMegadoc,\u201d British director Mike Figgis wanted to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Coppola\u2019s creative process, hoping that audiences who watch the documentary will better understand and appreciate \u201cMegalopolis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrancis is a brilliant filmmaker, but his ideas are very complicated,\u201d Figgis said in a recent phone interview. \u201cSometimes you have to help the audience a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the film also showcases the drama on set, including Coppola\u2019s arguments with actor Shia LaBeouf and the crew, and his frustrations with shooting the most expensive independent film of all time on his own dime.<\/p>\n

\"ShiaShia LaBeouf.Utopia<\/p>\n

Figgis said Driver didn\u2019t want the documentary crew to film him working, so he focused his lens primarily on LaBeouf, Plaza and Voight.<\/p>\n

LaBeouf, who rose to fame on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s, appears to revere Coppola. But in the documentary, he is also seen driving the 83-year-old director completely nuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cShia wants to talk about his role a lot,\u201d Figgis said, adding that the actor \u201csometimes overstepped the mark because he didn\u2019t get the answer he wanted, and Francis, well, he\u2019s in his 80s and sometimes he\u2019s just tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one scene, Coppola yells at LaBeouf: \u201cGive me what I want!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what you want!\u201d LaBeouf shouts back.<\/p>\n

Figgis also captured Coppola\u2019s conflicts with his production designer and visual effects team, who were replaced in the middle of production when their methods, which required careful planning, clashed with Coppola\u2019s more spontaneous approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d wake up and be so cheerful because none of this is my responsibility, none of this is my fault and I don\u2019t have to fix anything,\u201d Figgis said of watching the creative disputes unfold.<\/p>\n

Also in the film is Coppola\u2019s wife, Eleanor, who had chronicled his earlier filmmaking misadventures, most notably shooting candid footage from the set of 1979\u2019s \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d that would end up in the cult documentary \u201cHearts of Darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eleanor died in April 2024, just weeks before \u201cMegalopolis\u201d premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, but she was on set long enough to give Figgis some advice on shooting her husband at work.<\/p>\n

\u201cEllie said to me, \u2018He\u2019s gonna change his mind,\u2019\u201d Figgis said. \u201c\u2018Look out for that,\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Figgis first arrived on the Atlanta set in late 2022, as Coppola was beginning rehearsals. The two filmmakers had met at the Oscars nearly 30 years earlier, when Figgis was attending the award show for his 1995 film \u201cLeaving Las Vegas,\u201d which starred Coppola\u2019s nephew Nicolas Cage.<\/p>\n

They stayed in touch over the years, and when Figgis heard that Coppola was finally going to make \u201cMegalopolis\u201d after decades of trying, he said, \u201cI wrote to him and said, \u2018Congrats! P.S. If you need a fly on the wall, let me know.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have a plan,\u201d Figgis said. \u201cI just knew it would be interesting \u2019cause it was Francis. The weight of the budget \u2014 everybody had the same puzzled interest in how this would go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coppola gave Figgis notes on \u201cMegadoc,\u201d including the handling of the crew disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe felt I had been too evenhanded about his issues with the art department,\u201d Figgis said.<\/p>\n

But ultimately, Coppola let Figgis tell the story his way. And after hearing a year\u2019s worth of feedback on the film, including at audience Q&A\u2019s during a multicity theater tour this summer, Coppola is now re-editing \u201cMegalopolis\u201d at his Napa Valley home.<\/p>\n