Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” hit theaters last September, baffling audiences with its dystopian narrative and earning the director a Razzie Award for worst director.
Now, a new documentary titled “Megadoc” is set to premiere this weekend, giving viewers an intriguing glimpse into the unconventional and occasionally chaotic set of Coppola’s more than $120 million passion project.
Set in a futuristic city reminiscent of ancient Rome, “Megalopolis” features Adam Driver as an eager architect, Aubrey Plaza as an ambitious journalist, LaBeouf as Driver’s deceitful cousin, along with Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, and Giancarlo Esposito in prominent roles.
Coppola, known for classics like “The Godfather,” originally conceived the idea for the film back in 1977. Despite years of trying to secure financing, he ultimately invested his own money from his family’s wine business. Upon release, the film disappointed audiences, grossing just $14 million domestically. Some critics harshly labeled it “a work of complete madness,” making it one of the year’s most divisive films.
Through “Megadoc,” British director Mike Figgis aims to reveal Coppola’s creative journey, with the hope that viewers of the documentary will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for “Megalopolis.”
“Francis is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but his concepts can be quite intricate,” Figgis mentioned in a recent phone interview. “Sometimes audiences need a bit of guidance.”
But the film also showcases the drama on set, including Coppola’s arguments with actor Shia LaBeouf and the crew, and his frustrations with shooting the most expensive independent film of all time on his own dime.
Figgis said Driver didn’t want the documentary crew to film him working, so he focused his lens primarily on LaBeouf, Plaza and Voight.
LaBeouf, who rose to fame on the Disney Channel in the early 2000s, appears to revere Coppola. But in the documentary, he is also seen driving the 83-year-old director completely nuts.
“Shia wants to talk about his role a lot,” Figgis said, adding that the actor “sometimes overstepped the mark because he didn’t get the answer he wanted, and Francis, well, he’s in his 80s and sometimes he’s just tired.”
In one scene, Coppola yells at LaBeouf: “Give me what I want!”
“I don’t know what you want!” LaBeouf shouts back.
Figgis also captured Coppola’s conflicts with his production designer and visual effects team, who were replaced in the middle of production when their methods, which required careful planning, clashed with Coppola’s more spontaneous approach.
“I’d wake up and be so cheerful because none of this is my responsibility, none of this is my fault and I don’t have to fix anything,” Figgis said of watching the creative disputes unfold.
Also in the film is Coppola’s wife, Eleanor, who had chronicled his earlier filmmaking misadventures, most notably shooting candid footage from the set of 1979’s “Apocalypse Now” that would end up in the cult documentary “Hearts of Darkness.”
Eleanor died in April 2024, just weeks before “Megalopolis” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, but she was on set long enough to give Figgis some advice on shooting her husband at work.
“Ellie said to me, ‘He’s gonna change his mind,’” Figgis said. “‘Look out for that.’”
Figgis first arrived on the Atlanta set in late 2022, as Coppola was beginning rehearsals. The two filmmakers had met at the Oscars nearly 30 years earlier, when Figgis was attending the award show for his 1995 film “Leaving Las Vegas,” which starred Coppola’s nephew Nicolas Cage.
They stayed in touch over the years, and when Figgis heard that Coppola was finally going to make “Megalopolis” after decades of trying, he said, “I wrote to him and said, ‘Congrats! P.S. If you need a fly on the wall, let me know.’”
“I didn’t have a plan,” Figgis said. “I just knew it would be interesting ’cause it was Francis. The weight of the budget — everybody had the same puzzled interest in how this would go.”
Coppola gave Figgis notes on “Megadoc,” including the handling of the crew disputes.
“He felt I had been too evenhanded about his issues with the art department,” Figgis said.
But ultimately, Coppola let Figgis tell the story his way. And after hearing a year’s worth of feedback on the film, including at audience Q&A’s during a multicity theater tour this summer, Coppola is now re-editing “Megalopolis” at his Napa Valley home.
