The Godfather director’s new sci-fi epic starring Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza gets first look

Megalopolis
(Image credit: Francis Ford Coppola/Instagram)

Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis has been on his mind since the '80s, and now we finally have a first look. 

The sci-fi epic is set in New York City after a devastating disaster, following a woman torn between loyalties to her father and her lover. The former has a classical view of society, while her partner wants to rebuild the city as a utopia following its collapse.

The first image gives very little away, but we can see some of New York City in disarray as a statue is toppled and the streets look like they’ve been looted. Shared via The Godfather director’s Instagram, it could suggest a trailer may not be too far away. 

Coppola has overseen many iterations of the film, and various actors attached over the years, but filming officially began in 2022 and wrapped last year. Its cast list includes Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman, Shia LaBeouf, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Jason Schwartzman.

Outside of that, not much is known about the film’s premise yet, but Driver called the movie one of the "best shooting experiences" of his life in an interview with Collider. "Watching [Coppola] work that crew, that design team, he has such a command over cinematic language and an archive in his mind of shots that are so beautiful," he added. 

A release date has not yet been announced for Megalopolis, but it's been tipped for a premiere at Cannes Film Festival. For other upcoming movies, check out our list of all the 2024 movie release dates to add to your calendar.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

Read more
Francis Ford Coppola and Adam Driver
The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola has given a legendary response to his Razzie win for Megalopolis, which he is "thrilled" to accept
Mickey 17
First reactions to Parasite director's new delayed sci-fi movie Mickey 17 say it's "worth the wait" and praise Robert Pattinson’s "brilliant performance"
Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
The first look at Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey shows Matt Damon ready for battle
Freaky Tales
Pedro Pascal seeks revenge in the first trailer for bloody new horror movie from Marvel directors
Mickey 17
Robert Pattinson dies over and over again in wild new trailer for long-delayed sci-fi comedy Mickey 17 from Parasite director
Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2025
Latest in Sci-Fi Movies
Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Ke Huy Quan in The Electric State
$320 million in the hole, the Russo brothers' new Netflix movie debuts to their worst Rotten Tomatoes score even though it's one of the most expensive films ever made
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
James Cameron had "too many great ideas" for Avatar: The Way of Water, so the cut content became Avatar 3 which "will actually be a little bit longer" than its 3-hour predecessor
Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
Director Bong Joon Ho explains his new sci-fi film Mickey 17's surprise end title card: "It's a coming-of-age-story"
Claire Danes as Juliet and Miriam Margolyes as Nurse in the movie Romeo + Juliet.
The 33 greatest movies based on Shakespeare
Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette in Mickey 17
Although the Mickey 17 cast were at first baffled by the unique way Parasite director Bong Joon Ho works, now they want it no other way
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU"
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip