Editor’s note: This story was written before the “Megalopolis” trailer was pulled from circulation by Lionsgate, following reports that the quotes critical of earlier Coppola films were fabricated.
A new trailer has dropped for Francis Ford Coppola’s Georgia-shot “Megalopolis,” and it’s taking an interesting approach: highlighting some of the less than kind reviews of the director’s previous films.
“True genius is often misunderstood,” narrates actor Laurence Fishburne as excerpts of negative reviews of “The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” — classics directed by Coppola — appear on screen. “One filmmaker has always been ahead of his time.”
Coppola’s “The Godfather” is rated by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest film of all time behind “Citizen Kane” and “Casablanca.” “Apocalypse Now” checks in at No. 28 on that same list, with “The Godfather Part II” at No. 32. (“The Godfather Part III,” however, didn’t quite measure up to the first two.)
The new trailer highlights those past poor reviews evidently to tell moviegoers not to heed the negative reception for his latest film, “Megalopolis,” set to release Sept. 27. “Megalopolis” follows a visionary architect, played by Adam Driver, clashing with a corrupt mayor, played by Giancarlo Esposito, as he seeks to rebuild a futuristic metropolis after a disaster. Coppola filmed much of it at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville.
Critics were polarized after the movie’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Some loved it. Others hated it.
The Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney called it “a lot of movie, much of it quite bad. But you have to respect the staggering ambition of this epic folly, a mashup of the Roman Empire with modern day New York in chaos.” L.A. Times critic Matt Brennan said the film “genuinely moved me. It reads as a closing statement from one of the cinema’s greatest artists.”
Coppola spent decades developing the film and sold a considerable stake in his successful wine business to use as collateral for a line of credit to finance the project. The production itself was marred by allegations of inappropriate behavior from Coppola himself. An article published by The Guardian in early May detailed Coppola allegedly kissing extras to “get them in the mood,” showing up late to shoots and sitting in his trailer for hours on end, often smoking marijuana.
In June, Coppola responded to the allegations in an article by The New York Times, saying, “My mother told me that if you make an advance toward a woman, it means you disrespect her, and the girls I had crushes on, I certainly didn’t disrespect them.”
Other teaser trailers for “Megalopolis” have been playing in movie theaters for weeks. The film also stars Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman and Shia LaBeouf.
As he filmed “Megalopolis,” Coppola concurrently renovated a former Days Inn in Peachtree City into a hotel under his namesake hospitality company. The All-Movie Hotel, as Coppola has named it, has 27 luxury rooms designed by the filmmaker, starting at $170 per night. It also serves as a postproduction facility, offering edit suites with laser projection and high-quality audio monitoring, two edit bays, offices, recording rooms for Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) and a conference room.
