Francis Ford Coppola's self-financed film Megalopolis is reportedly in peril, and it's currently unknown if production can move forward due to a recent crew exodus and a ballooning budget.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the long-planned movie is currently halfway through its 80- to 90-day shooting schedule, but one source has cast doubt over whether it will actually cross the finish line. The production is said to have descended into further "chaos" after losing some of its key creative talent last week.
Coppola allegedly fired most of the movie's visual effects team in December, including supervisor Mark Russell who was heading up the division. It's understood that production designer Beth Mickle and supervising art director David Scott have also now exited the project, leaving its production without an art department.
While Coppola is reportedly trying to fill the vacant positions, other issues are said to be brewing on-set. The cost of production is apparently ballooning and is potentially at risk of stretching beyond the $120 million budget the director originally set aside for the film - partially funded by the profits from his wine business.
The spiralling costs have allegedly prompted Coppola to approach effects-heavy scenes in a different way than planned. The director is said to have initially employed cutting-edge virtual production tech similar to that used on The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi but he is now shifting to a cheaper green screen alternative.
Megalopolis has been a passion project of Coppola's for decades, and he's seemingly pulling out all the stops to bring it to the screen with a huge ensemble cast. Those involved include Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Talia Shire, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, and Dustin Hoffman.
Whether it ever actually makes it to theaters remains to be seen, but there's every chance that Coppola will find a way to navigate the obstacles, as it's not the first time he's faced a challenging production. His 1979 classic Apocalypse Now was plagued with production problems, but the movie went on to win two Oscars.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Cover image credit: Getty Images.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/francis-ford-coppola-megalopolis-crew-exits-ballooning-budget