Utopia has acquired North American rights to Megadoc, a brand new documentary on the making of Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic Megalopolis, which premiered a 12 months in the past at Cannes earlier than occurring to a nationwide theatrical launch through Lionsgate.
The doc, from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), can be launched in theaters this fall.
The making-of undertaking emerged from an opportunity encounter, sparked by an electronic mail between two outdated mates, with Coppola inviting Figgis to the Megalopolis set within the lead-up to the primary day of principal pictures and granting him permission to doc no matter he wished. Armed with a small digital camera and crew all through the complete shoot, Figgis’s unrestricted entry to the manufacturing gave method to Megadoc, a novel look into the inventive technique of one of the vital revered administrators of all time, and behind the scenes of essentially the most formidable movie of his profession.
“Francis gave me entry to the whole lot, together with the wonderful archive materials he’s collected of the various readings of the script because it went from one model to a different,” Figgis shared. “I used to be kind of free to go the place I wished. The forged had been open concerning the working scenario and the way they had been coping with the idiosyncrasies of Francis and his very particular person working strategies. What a privilege to be a witness to such a second in movie historical past.”
Commented Coppola, “The good filmmaker Mike Figgis shot the making of MEGALOPOLIS as he noticed it. Curiously, there are a lot of interpretations of what actually occurred and it’s all within the documentary though the documentary doesn’t at all times say which is what…it’s for the viewer to behold and interpret.”
Robert Schwartzman of Utopia added, “Eleanor Coppola’s iconic characteristic documentary, HEARTS OF DARKNESS, gave audiences an unbelievable look and entry to the making of APOCALYPSE NOW; a movie that, in time, turned extremely thought to be one of many best cinematic experiences of the period and past. Mike Figgis’s MEGADOC can be that to MEGALOPOLIS, opening as much as audiences a behind the scenes journey spanning 40 years, the place we’ll watch one of many biggest filmmakers at work.”
Marking a return to large-scale filmmaking, the long-lasting director behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Megalopolis is a undertaking Coppola spent a long time fascinated with. Set in a decaying model of New York Metropolis following a significant catastrophe, the movie facilities on a visionary architect (Adam Driver) who seeks to rebuild the town as a utopia, clashing with entrenched energy buildings.
Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Dustin Hoffman co-star within the experimental tentpole, which Coppola financed independently.
The making-of documentary is produced by Tara Li-An and James Mockoski. Utopia negotiated the deal straight with Figgis’ impartial manufacturing firm, Pink Mullet.
