Iconic filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s current project, Megalopolis, has received unwanted attention due to rumors of production issues. According to the reports, Coppola’s upcoming movie has struggled with filming as well as departures from various departments. Megalopolis is a project that the director spent many years developing before its filming finally began in 2022. As a result, Coppola decided to self-fund the upcoming $120 million epic science fiction drama film to get the project running.

In a recent statement to Deadline, Coppola spoke about Megalopolis and addressed the reports of alleged on-set chaos. The director also talked about the production staff who left the project, which Coppola said was the result of “managing cost.”

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Coppola stated, “I’ve never worked on a film where I was so happy with the cast. I am so happy with the look and that we are so on schedule. These reports never say who these sources are. To them, I say, ha, ha, just wait and see. Because this is a beautiful film and primarily so because the cast is so great. I’ve never enjoyed working with a cast who are so hardworking and so willing to go search for the unconventional, to come upon hidden solutions. It is a thrill to work with these actors and the photography is everything I could hope for. The dailies are great. So if we’re on schedule, and I love the actors and the look is great, I don’t know what anyone’s talking about here.”

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Francis Ford Coppola Says That Megalopolis Is ‘Totally on Schedule’

     Paramount Pictures

“We’ll finish the film in spring of 2023, and we’re totally on schedule, which is hard to do on a big picture,” Coppola told Deadline. “I don’t know how many films can say that eight weeks in, but we are and that’s a fact.” Coppola also noted that he’s not focusing on fall festivals. “I’m interested in a theatrical release in theaters, and IMAX theaters and I am excited about the possibility that for the first time in history, a movie could open up on the same day everywhere in the world,” he said. “And that’s what my goal is.”

Previously, the filmmaker talked to Deadline about what he hopes to achieve with his dream project. Coppola said, “My first goal was to make a love story with heart, but then you realize it’s about love and disloyalty and every aspect of human life. It echoes many other aspects of human life, like our planet being in danger, but ultimately a very optimistic film that has faith in the human ability to heal any problem that is put before us.”

Coppola added, “My cast is the most wonderful group of actors, who are doing beautiful work and there isn’t one case of where I wish I had cast another way. Every night I go see the dailies, and I understand why I am going through all of this. I love what I see, every night. The look of the film is exactly what I dreamed.”