“Megalopolis”, the new science fiction drama by Francis Ford Coppola (85), is considered the star director’s heart project, whose script he is said to have been working on since the 1980s. According to media reports, he is said to have even sold one of his wineries in order to finally make the film, including Hollywood star Adam Driver (40) in the lead role. Just one day before the premiere of the work at the 77th International Film Festival in Cannes, allegations of inappropriate and chaotic behavior by the director during filming overshadowed the discussion of the film’s content.
As the British “Guardian” reported yesterday (May 14), several crew members involved in the filming told the paper that they were extremely irritated by Coppola’s behavior. For example, while filming a revealing nightclub scene, he is said to have repeatedly tried to kiss scantily clad female extras in order to “get them in the mood.”
Further allegations relate to his general work as a director, which is said to have been characterized by an unpredictable and chaotic approach. An alleged insider told the Guardian: “He would often show up in the morning before these big sequences, and because no plan had been worked out yet and because he wouldn’t allow his staff to work out a plan, he would often just sit there. He sat in his trailer for hours, didn’t talk to anyone, often smoked marijuana…”. Hours often passed in which nothing was filmed and the crew and the expensively purchased cast just stood around and waited.
Another crew member is quoted as saying, “This sounds crazy, but there were times when we all stood around and said, ‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?'” Everyone involved is aware of this had been part of “what could have been a really sad end to his career”.