‘Megalopolis’ Making-Of Doc ‘Megadoc’ Acquired By Utopia

Utopia has acquired North American rights to Megadoc, a new documentary on the making of Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic Megalopolis, which premiered a year ago at Cannes before going on to a nationwide theatrical release via Lionsgate.

The doc, from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), will be released in theaters this fall.

The making-of project emerged from a chance encounter, sparked by an email between two old friends, with Coppola inviting Figgis to the Megalopolis set in the lead-up to the first day of principal photography and granting him permission to document whatever he wished. Armed with a small camera and crew throughout the entire shoot, Figgis’s unrestricted access to the production gave way to Megadoc, a unique look into the creative process of one of the most revered directors of all time, and behind the curtain of the most ambitious film of his career.

“Francis gave me access to everything, including the amazing archive material he’s accumulated of the many readings of the script as it went from one version to another,” Figgis shared. “I was more or less free to go where I wanted. The cast were open about the working situation and how they were dealing with the idiosyncrasies of Francis and his very individual working methods. What a privilege to be a witness to such a moment in film history.”

Commented Coppola, “The great filmmaker Mike Figgis shot the making of MEGALOPOLIS as he saw it. Interestingly, there are many interpretations of what really happened and it’s all in the documentary although the documentary doesn’t always say which is what…it is for the viewer to behold and interpret.”

Robert Schwartzman of Utopia added, “Eleanor Coppola’s iconic feature documentary, HEARTS OF DARKNESS, gave audiences an incredible look and access to the making of APOCALYPSE NOW; a film that, in time, became highly regarded as one of the finest cinematic experiences of the era and beyond. Mike Figgis’s MEGADOC will be that to MEGALOPOLIS, opening up to audiences a behind the scenes journey spanning 40 years, where we will watch one of the greatest filmmakers at work.”

Marking a return to large-scale filmmaking, the iconic director behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Megalopolis is a project Coppola spent decades thinking about. Set in a decaying version of New York City following a major disaster, the film centers on a visionary architect (Adam Driver) who seeks to rebuild the city as a utopia, clashing with entrenched power structures.

Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Dustin Hoffman co-star in the experimental tentpole, which Coppola financed independently.

The making-of documentary is produced by Tara Li-An and James Mockoski. Utopia negotiated the deal directly with Figgis’ independent production company, Red Mullet.