George Lucas has always been blunt - even about his own work - so I wasn’t surprised to hear he has less-than-glorifying thoughts on focus groups. We all know how he feels about certain Star Wars topics, so when the director sat down for an interview discussing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (which is now in its final stages) I knew we were in for a delightful verbal treat.

What got the director started during his conversation with A Rabbit’s Foot: was his stance that “art is in the eye of the beholder,” but less so when the beholders are focus group members. It turns out his dislike for the group-based approach goes back to his famous friend group. Lucas name-dropped icons Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Francis Ford Coppola while revealing why he really hates movie focus groups. In his words:

His answer didn’t surprise me at all. Everyone he named - including himself - is known for their filmmaking talents and experimental movies. But they’re also known for being direct about their opinions regarding films in general. This has been especially true when it comes to the Marvel Universe. Just ask Francis Ford Coppola, who has been blunt about the superhero films, but showed much love to Black Panther director Ryan Coogler's horror epic by penning a love letter to Sinners. Scorsese has also shared such opinions, but maybe he'll be into the DCU's Clayface, since he's already made a body horror film himself.

In any case, the last director that Lucas name-dropped, Spielberg, is one that every generation knows, and is another that also doesn't ever seem bothered by negative critiques. (Most recently, he faced mixed reactions to his film Disclosure Day.) And I can understand that after speaking with some of the best filmmakers on the planet about one's movie ideas, it's a bit of a drop-off to then hear the opinions from random people. Lucas shared this blunt take on the matter:

I think we all know what Lucas is referring to when he says that. Every Star Wars trilogy and spinoff has sparked mixed reactions from the most passionate fans, specifically from those who thought Jar Jar Binks was terrible. Lucas certainly went into that movie knowing fans would be "picky" about the prequels, but no one could ever know how much.

But what shocked me the most was learning that people wanted the director to get rid of C-3PO and even the Ewoks at one time. I couldn’t imagine if those people had gotten there way. What is a Star Wars universe without the humorous duo of C-3PO and R-2? The director feels that studios allow the audience to be too involved in making modern movies, rather than viewing their opinions as just that. In his words:

Can you imagine what classics like Citizen Kane and Casablanca would have been like had they been guided by focus groups? How would they have changed Alfred Hitchock's Psycho had that been as big a part of the studio process at the time?

While George Lucas doesn’t have any current movies in the works, he is overseeing the completion of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art after installing himself as lead curator in the wake of the second curator quitting. The passion project houses 35 galleries and a collection that has more than 100,000 works, from infamous works to African American cinema artifacts.

This unique project serves as a commentary on “disposable art of the 20th century,” which Lucas feels “belongs at the center of its culture.” It seems the director and his wife, who is co-founding the project, want to focus primarily on art that “had never been considered art.”

I wonder if any artifacts from his director friends will be in the museum? After all, they are part of cinema history.

Quite often, there is a significant disconnect between the movies that become blockbuster hits and the movies that win awards, which are often deemed to be more artistic endeavors. It’s not uncommon for directors who tend to work in that second group to make the occasional comment about why there’s something wrong with the first group, specifically as it regards the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Martin Scorsese has done it, as has Francis Ford Coppola.

However, one film can be both things, and Ryan Coogler has a knack for making them. Specifically, Sinners was a movie that made a killing at the box office while also being a darling of critics, and we can even add Francis Ford Coppola to that list of admirers. He took a moment recently to praise Sinners with some very strong language on Instagram, showing that he may take issue with some movies Ryan Coogler has made, but not this one. Coppola said…

Coppola’s praise echoes that of many who saw Sinners earlier this year when it was in theaters, and those who have seen it since with an HBO Max subscription. It became one of the highest-grossing non-franchise films we’ve seen in a very long time.

Francis Ford Coppola has certainly been on the opposite side of the box office from Sinners or Marvel movies in recent years. His newest film, Megalopolis, was a passion project that he self-financed in order to get it made. The movie failed to be either a critical or a commercial success, despite incredible ambition.

Movies have been called an “empathy machine" for the way they can make an audience feel for and understand characters in ways they might not have been able to beforehand. Francis Ford Coppola indicates this is why Sinners is so great, because it deals very specifically with issues of race from a perspective that he cannot have, but it allows him to begin at least to understand that experience. He continued…

Francis Ford Coppola’s praise for Sinners following his condemnation of Marvel movies is interesting because the creator of Sinners, Ryan Coogler, is also part of the MCU, and more than that, he arguably made the best Marvel movie, Black Panther. It’s the movie that people interested in “cinema” are generally allowed to say they like. But it gets grouped in with all the rest when discussing why Marvel movies are a sign of the fall of civilization.

Perhaps Francis Ford Coppola’s love for Sinners will lead him to seek out Black Panther and give Marvel movies another chance.

Bad auditions are as much of a norm in Hollywood as sunshine and craft services, and while they can sometimes be detrimental to a career or specific project, it’s not always a bad thing for famed actors to whiff on promising roles, which hindsight can speak to. Case in point: megastar George Clooney recently reflected on one of his least positive attempts to secure a role, which led to a surprisingly harsh comment from Francis Ford Coppola.

Clooney was speaking about an incident from nearly 35 years ago, when he auditioned for one of the more high profile horror adaptations of the 1990s, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Considering it’s also one of the most sexually charged horrors of note, it’s perhaps no surprise that a soon-to-be sex symbol like Clooney was hoping to be involved. Despite any amount of self-confidence the actor had, however, the Godfather director rather swiftly deflated it. As Clooney put it to IndieWire:

To be fair, the ER vet didn’t explicitly say whether or not he was drunk, but I’d put all my money on him being dead sober for that audition. After all, Francis Ford Coppola directed some of the best movies in cinema history, so I doubt anyone would want to intentionally botch such an experience by going in hammered. But I’m definitely curious about what Clooney could have done in the audition that sparked the filmmaker to call his agent with such an accusatory question.

The clip above doesn’t even make it clear which role Clooney was auditioning for. If he was aiming to land the Jonathan Harkness role that eventually went to Keanu Reeves, it’s even more curious, since that roles is as straightforward as it gets, and I can’t think of any particular scenes that would be helped along by a heightened performance.

Perhaps if Clooney was trying out for the role of R.M. Renfeld, which eventually went to the gravel-voiced Tom Waits, it would make sense for his performance to be a bit erratic and off-the-cuff, given that character’s fraught and tortured existence. Otherwise, I’ve no clue.

Why George Clooney's Botched Dracula Audition Was Better For Horror Fans In The Long Run

While George Clooney's presence may very well have added some additional quality points to Bram Stoker's Dracula as a final product, I can't help but believe that starring in such a high-profile vampire movie in 1992 would have kept the actor from later co-starring in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 1996 genre-flipping classic From Dusk Till Dawn. Considering he's such a masterful part of that sordid, blood-soaked feature, I don't even want to consider what it might have been like with another '90s actor playing Tarantino's brother.

Sure, Dracula may be more critically acclaimed on the whole, and has a better shot at being relegated essential viewing than From Dusk Till Dawn would, but if you ask me 10 times which movie I'd rather watch for the fun of it, I'm going to say FDTD all 10 times. Featuring co-stars such as Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek and more, the heist-horror-comedy caper is an NSFW roller coaster ride that keeps viewers rollicking for its entire runtime. For nearly 20 years now, I've considered it to be one of the best vampire movies ever.

Bram Stoker's Dracula, for all that I do sincerely love it, is really a snooze in comparison. It's a faithful retelling of Stoker's novel, albeit with plenty of creative tweaks, and amidst plenty of quality performances, Gary Oldman is truly running on all cylinders in multiple roles. But the truly exciting moments are fewer and farther between than they are in Rodriguez's film.

Plus, exactly zero Titty Twister strip clubs are to be found in Transylvania. I mean come on!

In any case, George Clooney's career isn't exactly suffering, although as a horror fan, I'd love it if he could find the time to jump back into another genre effort before he retires from acting altogether. From Dawn Till Dusk, anyone?

Some of Hollywood’s greatest directors put in a lot of work to produce films fit for IMAX, though cinephiles should also be aware of other people who’ve helped make the format what it is today. David Keighley – IMAX’s longtime chief quality officer – was such a person, and he sadly passed away recently at the age of 77. Keighley deserves much of our thanks for his contributions to cinema, and he’s now being honored fittingly. That’s because Christopher Nolan, James Cameron and others are paying tribute to Keighley.

Christopher Nolan has been a true champion of the IMAX format, as he’s utilized it for many of his films, from The Dark Knight and Interstellar to Dunkirk and Oppenheimer. With that, Nolan’s films were overseen by David Keighley and as noted by THR, Keighley was evaluating dailies of Nolan’s latest flick, The Odyssey, shortly before his death. Keighley’s son, media pundit Geoff Keighley, shared Nolan’s tribute and those from others on Instagram, and the British director had nothing but praise for his “friend” and “mentor”:

James Cameron also had the opportunity to work with the late Keighley over the course of his career. In his own message Cameron – whose next feature is the IMAX-filmed Avatar: Fire and Ash – affectionately recalled working with Keighley on various cinematic endeavors:

David Keighley died due to neuroendocrine prostate cancer, as Geoff explained. Amid his over-50-year career, David – along with his wife, Patricia – was instrumental in helping to readjust some of Hollywood’s biggest movies for the format he passionately championed. As Christopher Nolan mentioned, the last completed movie David worked on was Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed vampire epic, Sinners. Coogler was reflected on meeting and getting to know the late executive, fondly recalling their chats and tours of IMAX headquarters:

Francis Ford Coppola recalled working with Keighley as well, not only expressing his condolences but calling his death “a major loss for cinema” as well. Another auteur, Denis Villeneuve offered praise for Keighley as well. Villeneuve – who’s currently in production on another film set for IMAX, Dune: Part Three – had this to say:

Thanks to Keighley’s efforts, moviegoers around the world have been able to enjoy massive films in IMAX theaters. I’ve personally seen more than my fair share of flicks in the format and am planning to see a few more films that way before the 2025 movie schedule wraps up. The cinema-loving public owes Keighley a great deal of gratitude for what he accomplished, and it’s wonderful that some of the industry’s biggest directors are honoring him. We here at CinemaBlend extend our condolences to the Keighley family at this time.

More than four decades after its release, Airplane is still held up as the standard other spoof movies are compared against. Its sequel, unfortunately, is not held in such high regards. The underwhelming follow-up is sometimes still cited as a cautionary tale for continuing a franchise without its creators, which makes sense, given its creators actually had a fantastic idea for the second round. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up happening, not because Paramount wasn’t interested but because Francis Ford Coppola put his foot down.

Recently, we got a chance to sit down with Airplane’s David Zucker, who just launched MasterCrash, an online course that outlines the rules of making a good spoof movie. He's talked in the past about being frustrated about what happened with the sequel, and let the record show, he's still not a happy flyer.

He, of course, wrote and directed the beloved original alongside his brother Jeff Zucker and collaborator Jim Abrahams. Initially, they didn’t have any plans to return for another Airplane, but after the movie made more than $170M at the box office (which was a staggering amount in 1980), they were pressured by Paramount execs David Katzenberg and Michael Eisner to do a sequel.

The Zuckers and Abrahams talked things out amongst themselves and decided on a framework. It would follow original leads Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. She would meet his family for the first time ahead of a wedding, and it would turn into a spoof of The Godfather, with the movie literally being called Airplane II: The Godfather. Paramount loved it, but when they asked Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola for his take, he apparently told them not to do it. Here’s a portion of Zucker’s quote…

Look: I’m not going to say how people should or shouldn’t feel about spoofs and parodies of their work. I get that it’s an emotionally complicated thing. I also get that Paramount obviously wanted to make more Godfather movies with Coppola, and if he was going to make Godfather III, they wouldn’t want to upset him. I work with enough creative types to know you need to tread carefully in that situation.

In retrospect, however, what’s unfortunate is that Godfather III didn’t actually end up coming out until 1990. That’s a full eight years after Airplane II was released, and had everyone known that, I doubt there would have been as many concerns about making a spoof movie, given it would have been completely out of everyone’s minds by the time Godfather III came out.

That’s not how things worked out though. Instead, the Zuckers and Abrahams decided not to return for the sequel (and never even watched it). Paramount moved forward with a different team. Hayes and Hagerty reprised their roles, along with a few other cast members, but there was a pretty negative public perception before the movie even came out. Reviews were mostly middling to slightly negative, and the film only did a fraction of the business its predecessor did.

As for Zucker, he went on to have an extremely successful career making other spoof movies. Most notably, he co-created the Naked Gun franchise, though he's not involved in the remake. He also directed other memorable titles like BASEketball and Scary Movie 3. He’ll always wonder what could have been with Airplane II, and now I will too.

If you want to get more of Zucker's thoughts on his career and comedy, you can check out MasterCrash, which is currently available to spoof fans.

We lost a legend, and there’s no denying it. Yesterday, Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their home. While we learned about this in the early hours of the morning, many of Hollywood’s greats did not wait to post tributes, as Francis Ford Coppola, Viola Davis, George Takei and more honored the late great actor and his family on social media.

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola worked on the film The Conversation with Hackman. Using his Instagram to pay tribute to the actor, the filmmaker posted a BTS image of them working together, with the following heartfelt message:

The greats truly are recognizing greats here. EGOT winner Viola Davis was quick to post her tribute to The French Connection star. Using a headshot of the actor, the actress used her IG caption to honor him and note some of her favorite works of his, writing:

Antonio Banderas also got in on the tributes. After Hackman and his wife were found dead in their Santa Fe home, many were left in shock and are sending their condolences to their family and loved ones. That’s exactly what The Mask of Zorro actor did, too, writing on IG:

Josh Brolin was also “crushed” by this news.

The Dune actor posted an image of Hackman and Arakawa on his Instagram to mourn this devastating loss. Noting the actor’s iconic filmography – which includes some of the best movies of the 2000s, ‘90s, ‘80s and ‘70s – he wrote:

George Takei also posted about this death in the early hours of the morning. Citing an obituary posted about the late actor, the Star Trek legend wrote on X:

Along with actors, and like Coppola, many filmmakers paid their respects to The Royal Tenenbaums actor and his family.

A Simple Favor director Paul Feig took to X to post his tribute, citing The Conversation (the film Hackman made with Coppola) as a movie that changed the way he saw acting:

Meanwhile, Edgar Wright kept his tribute simple.

The Baby Driver director retweeted Mubi’s X post about the news. He didn’t say much, but his two simple words are effective and the message I’d like to leave us on:

Gene Hackman truly is one of the greats, and he always will be. From critical classics like The French Connection and Unforgiven to 1978’s Superman (which is one of the best Superman movies) where he played Lex Luthor to modern cult classics like The Royal Tenenbaums, he truly left a remarkable mark on cinema. His legacy will be remembered forever.

We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s loved ones during this tragic time.

"Watch out we don’t exterminate you!" Spoken by Richard Castellano's Corleogne capo Peter Clemenza, this jokey line foreshadowed one of The Godfather's many deaths, but it was a line from earlier in the film that set up the most memorable quote from Paulie Gatto's death scene: "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

While perhaps not as easily applicable in life as "an offer he can't refuse" or "sleeping with the fishes," it's brilliant all the same, and legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola joined ReelBlend to talk his passion project Megalopolis and shine some light on what inspired that dessert-infused line. As it turns out, it came from Castellano himself, but only because of the ally oop that Coppola added to an earlier scene. As he put it:

Some of the in the funniest TV shows and movies of all time have been ad-libbed on the spot, but it wouldn't outwardly seem like that would also be the case for one of The Godfather's most quotable moments. I guess it helps that it's a funny one. Had he just improvised the line: "Be sure and grab that there dessert after making haste to dispose of your handgun, my friend," that probably wouldn't have made the final cut.

Even as small of a moment as that probably was on the day there were filming it, Coppola's anecdote is a solid example of how one choice can have such a massive effect for decades to come. I can imagine fans constantly asked Richard Castellano to say that line ahead of his 1988 death.

It's the kind of line that's makes Best Movie Quotes lists regularly, and has also inspired myriad variations and, of course, a Family Guy cutaway gag.

It's not clear at this point whether Megalopolis will spawn any repeatable lines with the longevity of "Leave the gun, take the cannoli," but it will almost definitely live in infamy for various other reasons. Time will make those reasons more obvious.

Check out Francis Ford Coppola himself sharing the story with ReelBlend below!

The Godfather will forever be a classic film that deserves rewatching and re-examining for new generations. We happen to think it deserves the top slot amongst all of Francis Ford Coppola's best films, and it's an opinion shared by star Al Pacino, so there's no arguing it, hoo-ahhh.

Megalopolis is currently in theaters around the country, though its box office take is unfortunately nowhere near the reported $160 million spent to make it.

To say The Godfather is considered one of the greatest movies of all time would be an understatement. Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece starred Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, who ultimately takes over his father’s responsibilities as the head of the mafia family after he faces life threatening injuries. Pacino’s nuanced performance is a tour-de-force, and he became a movie star after the film was released in 1972. Even with the acclaim, Pacino still waited decades to watch the film and is now explaining why.

Pacino, who is now 84, recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his life and legacy amidst the release of his new book, Sonny Boy: A Memoir. The legendary actor discussed the role that The Godfather played in his career and how it shaped him as an actor. Despite the praise he received from critics and audiences alike for his performance, Pacino still avoided watching the movie at all costs. He explained that he even left the premiere of the film before watching it:

The Scarface icon isn't the only one who has avoided watching their own performances. Adam Driver used to leave his own premieres before he became more comfortable with the idea, and Denzel Washington has said he never revisits his own work. Despite Al Pacino trying to avoid the film, it was hard for him not to get sucked in, especially as the movie would frequently be aired on TV in subsequent years. While discussing that, he provided a personal reason as to why it took him so long to watch it:

I understand him not feeling like he was the right audience for his own film. It’s hard to be objective about something you're so intimately a part of, especially if you tend to be self critical of your own work. However, the allure of Godfather is almost undeniable, and the almost flawless filmmaking makes the film objectively great. Pacino’s performance is a standout, with the Oscar-winning drama being one of the Heat actor’s best movies. He may have been a biased audience member, but almost everyone who has seen the American classic agrees that it’s one of the greats, and an essential watch of the 20th century.

After seeing the film, Pacino believes it’s even better than the beloved sequel. It was famously a fraught production, with the studio fighting against casting Pacino and Marlon Brando in lead roles and entrusting young filmmaker Coppola with the kind of budget he was asking for. After the release of the film, anxieties diminished, with the movie becoming a worldwide success, and one of the most acclaimed movies of the '70s.

Even though it may have taken a while to get there, it's great that Al Pacino can now appreciate what he helped create and enjoy the movie as an audience member and not just a performer. You can revisit the Godfather movies, which are now all streamable with a Paramount+ subscription. Pacino fans should also check out Sonny Boy: A Memoir, which can be purchased now on Amazon.

Picture this, readers: a member of the 2024 movie schedule that’s arrived to pans and jeers from reviewer and fan alike. A picture that is a long-awaited follow-up to the previous works of wonder from a director heralded as a visionary, only to crater in its opening weekend. That description could be applied to two very prolific films that have taken center stage in the last couple of weeks, but the one I’m here to specifically defend is Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

After seeing the film last week prior to my Joker: Folie à Deux screening, I came out of the theater ready to defend this much maligned work of utopian fantasy. However, the case I’m about to make isn't without regard to the various controversies at which Francis Ford Coppola has been at the center.

While those are troubling caveats that are present on the man’s record, I’m here to talk about Megalopolis and its merits as a feature film. With that in mind, here’s why I think Coppola’s latest career-risking project is better than our own Megalopolis review says it was.

Of Course Those Megalopolis Looks Hysterical Out Of Context

Ok, I have to start us off with the fact that two clips from Megalopolis showed up online just as the film was opening, and of course they were viral sensations. One of those moments involves a conversation between Adam Driver’s Cesar and Nathalie Emmanuel’s Julia. I’m not even going to bother describing it, as you can watch it for yourself out of context, thank to that moment being officially released:

The other scene I saw is one that involves Jon Voight’s Hamilton Crassus III, Aubrey Plaza’s unmissable performance as Wow Platinum, and a crossbow. Again, the less said about this, the better, but even if you watch those scenes out of context, they’re natural fits for laugh riots. Going back to Adam Driver playing a frosty intellectual against Nathalie Emmanuel, that scene is clearly going to look ridiculous without the proper context that Megalopolis gives for that moment.

Can I still chuckle at those scenes, even in the proper context? Absolutely, But that doesn’t overwrite the fact that Francis Ford Coppola kind of set up the expectation for this entire movie in a simple subtitle that everyone seems to forget.

Everyone Forgets That Megalopolis Is A Fable

This movie is literally billed as Megalopolis: A Fable. If you look at the typical definition of such a story, it’s a tale that holds a moral and is typically told with animals. Now while there are no donkeys in the Megalopolis cast, we’re still treated to heightened human characters that fit the fanciful bill that one would expect from a narrative that’s more adjacent to a fairy tale than The Godfather.

Influenced by Roman history and his current viewpoint on America, Francis Ford Coppola has told a story removed enough from our reality that it’s spectacle laden fiction. Using “A Fable” as the film’s subtitle, Megalopolis is something we should have known from the start would be ridiculous to a point. There may not be animals, but the humans of this crumbling dystopia certainly act like they’re running on their basest impulses at times.

After Seeing Megalopolis, I Think The ‘Immersive Experience’ Is A Requirement

Something else that people have talked about leading up to Megalopolis’ release is “the immersive experience.” You may have seen clips of this displayed online as well, as Adam Driver’s big press conference scene is where an “immersive” screening allows an audience member to recite the questions aloud, as if they were playing the journalist interviewing Cesar.

If you ask me, this is something that should be required in every screening, solely because it drops the viewer into the world of Megalopolis for a brief moment. That moment is a pretty huge one, as it’s a pivot point for Adam Driver’s character, as he starts to become more human.

For the audience member holding this “conversation” with Cesar, the point of the film could be much more potent when they engage it as a participant, rather than a spectator. It's a realization that makes The Wrap's report of a scrapped Alexa experience meant to mimic the same thing all the more desirable.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis Is The Latest Underrated Utopian Blockbuster

It warmed my heart to see writer/director Brad Bird included in the Special Thanks credits for Megalopolis; and I think it’s a hint towards why this movie landed so favorably with me. In its own way Francis Ford Coppola’s intellectual/sociopolitical fairy tale is a companion piece to some other utopian blockbusters that I’ve championed in the past.

Most notably, thanks to the invocation of Mr. Bird’s name, Tomorrowland is one such movie that comes to mind, and The Wachowski’s IMAX ready masterpiece Speed Racer also fits that bill. I couldn’t have imagined that the man that made The Godfather would craft such a grand and colorful spectacle such as Megalopolis. That said, it totally fits in with these other favorites of mine because of the message of people pushing past cynicism for a better tomorrow.

Yes, There Is A Clear Moral In Megalopolis’ Messy But Moving Fable

I’ve read a lot of reactions stating that Megalopolis is a mess of varying degrees, and I can’t disagree with that. However, I think that’s part of the point that Francis Ford Coppola is trying to make, especially in the earlier acts. Populating New Rome with memetic spectacle, petty celebrity drama and looming disaster through false populism, that mess could be seen as an allegory for the modern world.

So does the solution, as Cesar’s utopian vision requires that “great debate” on the future. It also requires people to come together and work towards that vision’s execution and preservation. Even in the final moment of seeming victory, Adam Driver’s utterance of “We have no more time” suggests that this great work isn’t finished, but just getting started. If the world can put aside the noise and focus, it can solve its problems and save itself.

I can totally see why some wouldn’t appreciate Megalopolis, as it’s basically run into the same problem that Brad Bird's 2015 picture ran into - right down to our in-house Tomorrowland review. The story may feel too colorful and too untraditional for people who aren’t used to optimistic fables on the big screen. It's a movie that wears its heart on its sleeve, and that's the sort of tale that's almost always an acquired taste waiting to be made into a fan favorite.

If you have an open mind and want to see something that’s undoubtedly new and unusual, Megalopolis is still showing in theaters. Who knows? You might like it better than Joker: Folie à Deux! And while you're at it, check out ReelBlend's Francis Ford Coppola interview, as there's plenty of further insight into what makes this picture so unique.

We are honored to welcome Francis Ford Coppola on the show to discuss his work, from The Godfather to his new film Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel. The legend shared a few incredible stories from his early masterpieces including a minor change to The Godfather Part II that saved it for audiences, Apocalypse Now being denied by the studio system, inspiring young filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino and more.

After the interview, Jake and Gabe dive into their reviews of Megalopolis, a wild, original film that defies explanation. If you’re as curious as they were to see for themselves, head to a theater near you and come back to the comments section with your thoughts.

After Megalopolis spoilers, Jake and Sean get into their thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux. They eventually get into spoilers, with plenty of warning, so keep an ear out for those if you want to avoid them. Next week, Oscar-nominated Joker cinematographer Lawrence Sher joins us to discuss his staggering work on the new sequel.

Timestamps

• 00:00:00 - Intro
• 00:06:15 - Francis Ford Coppola Interview
• 00:44:15 - ‘Megalopolis’ Reviews
• 00:53:04 - ‘Megalopolis’ Spoilers
• 01:03:52 - Spoilers: ‘Joker: Folie À Deux’ Review
• 01:19:42 - Outro

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There are many standout aspects of Adam Driver’s career, from his standout role in the HBO series Girls (which really launched his career) to his time as a principal villain in the Star Wars franchise, but recent years have been defined by him working with some of the greatest filmmakers alive. It’s a list that includes Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Jim Jarmusch, Noah Baumbach, Michael Mann, Steven Soderbergh, and Spike Lee.

That’s a remarkable track record of collaborators – but it was while working with the legendary Francis Ford Coppola on the new film Megalopolis that Driver got what he sees as the best direction he’s ever gotten.

I sat down with Adam Driver earlier this month during the Megalopolis press day at the Toronto International Film Festival, and in addition to talking about his habits watching his own movies, we also discussed his history working with renowned filmmakers. I inquired about the level of intimidation that comes into play, particularly given Francis Ford Coppola’s singular vision for his sci-fi epic, and he explained that all of the best directors share something in common that negates it:

In essence, it’s not a one-way street creatively; the filmmakers hire Adam Driver because they want to see and hear his choices and thoughts.

Continuing, the actor discussed the atmosphere that Francis Ford Coppola established on his very first day making Megalopolis. In addition to giving his performers a lot of freedom, the director also provided some wisdom that significantly stands out in Adam Driver’s memory:

Very much built on metaphors reflecting the modern world, Megalopolis sees Adam Driver play Cesar Catilina, an architect with an immense vision for the future that will forever change the city of New Rome. However, his efforts are impeded by those who would prefer to see the world remain the same. It’s a bold and artistically unimpeded work (thanks to Francis Ford Coppola financing the film himself), and while the film has gotten divisive reactions – which you can pull from our Megalopolis CinemaBlend review – it can’t be argued that the film doesn’t take big swings at every opportunity.

Further discussing the precious direction Francis Ford Coppola offered, Adam Driver noted that it wasn’t just for him after a take, but for everybody involved with the production. He added,

The cast of Megalopolis is full of veteran performers, including Giancarlo Esposito, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Fishburne, but Francis Ford Coppola didn’t want his actors leaning on their experience. Instead, he wanted Adam Driver and all of the actors to help him try and push the art form forward. Said Driver,

Megalopolis is now available for as many viewings as you desire, as it is playing in theaters nationwide – nabbing sixth place in the box office Top 10 this past weekend.

There are popular franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up on the galaxy far far away, seeing projects in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While the Star Wars movies have inspired countless projects that followed, the franchise's success wasn't always a guarantee. Case in point: Francis Ford Coppola recalled seeing an early cut of George Lucas’ A New Hope and explains why it was so "terrible."

While fans are looking forward to the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, information about the original trilogy is still coming out. A New Hope was a game changer for the industry, but there were some concerns. Steven Spielberg has been open about his worries, and now the great Francis Ford Coppola has also spoken out. During an interview with Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, the Godfather icon shared what was happening with Lucas and Star Wars before the first movie hit theaters. As he put it:

There you have it. Much of the magic of Star Wars comes in the post-production phase, where visual effects, music, and sound design transport us into the beloved galaxy. And when those bells and whistles weren't working in tandem when folks like Coppola and Spielberg saw an early version of A New Hope.

The feelings of concern from George Lucas' peers makes a great deal of sense when you consider the context of A New Hope's release. Not only did the movie introduce the world to that galaxy far, far away, but it also featured cutting edge visual effects. And when the elements weren't completed, who knows how wild the movie looked?

Trying to imagine Star Wars without music is definitely a struggle. The legendary John Williams famously wrote the beloved score of George Lucas' movie, which adds a sense of scale, magic, and stakes to the world. So who can blame Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg for not immediately falling in love with A New Hope?

In the end, we all know how things ultimately worked out. A New Hope became a huge hit, kickstarting a franchise that would extend across movies, TV, theme parks, and more. The concerns about the movie might seem silly now, but it's fun to hear the BTS process of the film. And besides, sometimes you have to tell your friends the truth... even if it's George Lucas.

The Star Wars franchise is streaming on Disney+. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.

Actors have varying takes when it comes to watching their own work, but it’s easy to sympathize with those who try to avoid their own performances. Everybody is their own harshest critic, so why invite the opportunity? Stars like Denzel Washington have said that they never look back at their old movies – but for Megalopolis’ Adam Driver, his perspective is currently in the midst of a shift. While he previously avoided watching his own films, he has started to change that behavior as of late.

I interviewed Driver earlier this month up in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival, and it was at the end of our conversation about his new collaboration with director Francis Ford Coppola that I asked about his viewing habits when it comes to his own movies. He explained that he hasn’t watched his own performances in the past, but that has changed of late:

It’s an interesting point. Any given scene in a movie is generally filmed from multiple angles and with multiple takes of those multiple angles. What stands out in an actor’s memory from set may not be what is ultimately presented in the finished film – and the only way for recollection and reality to line up is for the performer to witness the magic cooked up during the post-production process.

In the case of Adam Driver, it’s worth noting that not watching his own movies means missing out on films made by some of the greatest directors working today. In recent years, he has been collaborating with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Noah Baumbach, Ridley Scott, Michael Mann and more, and there is something sad in the fact that he can’t enjoy the works of the master filmmakers like the rest of us.

As noted, his latest legendary collaboration is with Francis Ford Coppola in the ambitious upcoming sci-fi epic Megalopolis. In the heavily metaphorical film, Driver plays an artist named Cesar Catilina who has an optimistic vision for recreating the world but finds his ambitions challenged and undercut by forces that want to see the status quo remain. The vast ensemble cast includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, and more.

With his new self-watching philosophy, Adam Driver is also part of Megalopolis’ audience – though he noted that there is a caveat involved: in order to develop a more objective perspective, multiple viewings are required. Said Driver,

After receiving some fascinatingly divisive reactions at the Cannes Film Festival in the summer, Megalopolis arrives in theaters this Friday, September 27, and you can preview all of the films arriving on the big screen in the coming months with our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the importance and value of “the theatrical experience.” If there is one thing that Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis does right, it reminds one that there is nothing quite like the theatrical experience, especially when watching one of the most unique pieces of cinema in years.

Francis Ford Coppola has been working on Megalopolis for the better part of four decades. Over the years, there were various attempts to make it, but finding a studio willing to produce it proved challenging. Finally, after selling a portion of his wine empire, Coppola financed the film himself, and now the epic Megalopolis is here, and what a movie it is. It pushes boundaries, and challenges perceptions. It questions the present and the future. It's a film about incredible ambition told with incredible ambition.

Megalopolis’, subtitled A Fable, takes a look at modern America and infuses it with elements of the Roman Republic. Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) leads the city of New Rome, a thinly veiled New York that is and is not America (it's confusing, and not particularly important). He is in conflict with Cesar Catalina (Adam Driver) the leader of the Design Authority, which is in the process of remaking the city using a revolutionary new material of Catalina's discovery, Megalon.

Cesar sees the potential to create a utopia out of the failing city. Cicero sees the work as dangerous to the people as they exist today. Things get more complicated when Cicero's daughter Julie (Nathalie Emmanuel) begins a relationship with Cesar.

Megalopolis is more a metaphor than a movie.

I’m afraid that in trying to summarize the plot of Megalopolis I may have given readers the impression that Megalopolis has… a plot. You may think there’s a story being told here. That is technically true, but it needs to be said at the outset that the Megalopolis story can be hard to follow primarily because the movie isn’t that concerned with the story being told.

Megalopolis is a metaphor. It exists to compare the Roman Republic’s transition to a Roman Empire to modern American society, which Coppola clearly sees heading down the same path. The utterly unsubtle names of the characters, the sets, and the costumes, are all in service of driving home the idea of this metaphor. It is far more important than the characters' drama being told, so when the two come into conflict, which happens frequently, the metaphor takes precedence.

This hinders the story in many ways. In a movie that is littered with characters, many of them go nowhere. Scenes introduce ideas that seem like they’ll come into play later, and then simply don’t. Curious about this strange new element called Megalon and what it is or why it matters? Sorry, that won’t ever be addressed, for the simple reason that, again, it doesn’t actually matter.

Adam Driver and the rest of the cast are committed to the spectacle.

Even at a nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime, Megalopolis has a lot to cram in, and things move so quickly you barely have time to contemplate one scene before the next goes flying by. It’s loud and brash and it never quits.

But what Megalopolis loses in narrative it tries to make up for in visual spectacle, and it does a remarkable job at that. It’s an incredible-looking film. Shot largely against greenscreens, the film embraces the unreality of it all rather than trying to make things look photoreal, setting scenes against some incredible, and sometimes impossible backdrops.

The separation from reality extends to the characters. Adam Driver’s first major scene includes him reciting Hamlet at length and if the entire script had been written in iambic pentameter it would have fit. None of the dialogue from any character feels the least bit natural, but if it did, it would feel entirely out of place in the world of New Rome with its massive excess.

The greatest strength of Megalopolis is its cast. It’s clear that every one of them was fully committed to the absolutely wild ideas that Coppola was putting together. The performances are what make the world of New Rome feel as real as it can be. Shia Lebeouf is a particular standout as Cesar’s cousin Clodio. Aubrey Plaza, who has the best character name of the year, Wow Platinum, owns the screen in every scene she is in as a power hungry media personality.

Megalopolis tries to do too much, but you’ll never see anything like it.

Megalopolis feels like a movie designed to be seen more than once, and from the director who has given us at least four different versions of Apocalypse Now, that’s not that surprising. On a single viewing, however, many viewers may not get much out of it. There's simply so much going on that processing it all becomes a constant battle.

And yet, there’s something admirable about the absolute ambition on display in Megalopolis. Francis Ford Coppola clearly had something he wanted to say, something he wanted to do, and he has certainly done it here. It’s difficult to imagine that he left anything on the table. One experiences many emotions watching Megalopolis, but boredom is never one of them.

Of course, sometimes some of the most creative minds can end up out in the weeds when there isn't some level of oversight to rein them back in. When you have the freedom to do whatever you want, sometimes you create art, sometimes madness. In this case, it's some of both.

There are moments of pure beauty. The creativity on display can take your breath away at times. And the ideas at the heart of Megalopolis are ideas worth considering. And then sometimes you just ask yourself "What the hell did I just see?"

Maybe Megalopolis is a revolution in filmmaking. Maybe not. It's a movie that will undoubtedly leave many audiences frustrated, but sometimes that's what happens when great art challenges us. That will likely be a question for the future, not the now, and as the film itself says "Don't let the now destroy the forever."

Earlier today, the first trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis was released online, giving the public a taste of the director’s first feature in over a decade following its polarizing premiere at the Cannes Festival in May. However, now Lionsgate, which is handling the upcoming 2024 movie’s distribution, is is pulling the trailer from theaters and online. The reason: it uses movie review quotes that were made up.

Let me provide some context first. If you missed seeing the Megalopolis trailer, it features negative pull quotes from reviews of some of Coppola’s past movies, including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Dracula. This was done to show how just because a movie is received poorly at the time of its initial release doesn’t mean it can’t become a classic years later. But as Vulture pointed out, the quotes used in the Megalopolis trailer aren’t actually from those reviews written back in the day by greats like Pauline Kale, Andrew Sarris and Roger Ebert.

While it’s unclear where these quotes came from or why they were included in the preview rather than using actual portions from the reviews, Variety received the following statement from Lionsgate regarding its decision to pull the Megalopolis trailer, saying:

Examples of these made-up quotes included Andrew Sarris calling The Godfather a “sloppy self-indulgent movie,” John Simon calling Apocalypse Now a “spectacular failure,” and Owen Gleiberman calling Dracula a “beautiful mess.” Weirdly, the one real quote comes from Robert Ebert saying that the aforementioned vampire movie was a “triumph of style over substance”… except that actually came from his review of 1989’s Batman. As of this writing, the Megalopolis trailer has indeed been pulled from Lionsgate’s official channels on YouTube, but it remains on various other channels that snatched it up following its drop this morning.

This is just the latest controversy tied to Megalopolis, which Francis Ford Coppola spent $120 million of his own money to fund. In December 2022, it was reported that the filmmaker fired most of the production’s visual effects team. Then this past July, video footage was released of Coppola trying to kiss multiple female extras back in summer 2023 during filming, and other crew members accused him of behaving unprofessionally. The movie, which stars actors like Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza, takes place in a fictional version of the United States and follows an architect feuding with the mayor of New Roe over how to rebuild the city after it’s ravaged by a deadly accident.

Megalopolis hits theaters on September 27. While we wait for more news about this piece of silver screen entertainment, read through our ranking of Francis Ford Coppola’s 10 best movies and what other upcoming sci-fi movies are lined up.

Francis Ford Coppola is responsible for some truly iconic movies, including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. His newest creation, Megalopolis, could very well end up in that same conversation, at least in terms of scope, as the esteemed filmmaker has apparently been working on this passion project since the 1980s. That labor of love — and $120 million of Coppola’s own money — has finally been witnessed by an audience, as Megalopolis premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16, and critics are sharing their views on the science fiction drama.

Megalopolis is set in New Rome (an alt-universe NYC) following a huge accident that destroyed the decaying metropolis. As an architect with the power to control time — Adam Driver’s Cesar Catilina — aims to rebuild, he faces opposition from New Rome’s corrupt mayor, Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). The cast is brimming with stars like Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Jon Voight, so let’s see what critics think, starting with IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, who grades the movie a B+, writing: 

Damon Wise of Deadline says the movie bulldozes several filmmaking rules — including an audacious fourth-wall-breaking gimmick — but love it or hate it, this was the film the writer/director set out to make. Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis reinvents the possibilities of cinema, Wise writes, and it’s sure to inspire as many people as it will inevitably alienate. The critic continues: 

Bilge Ebiri of Vulture says Megalopolis might be the craziest movie he’s ever seen, and he enjoyed “every single batshit second of it.” To illustrate the point, Ebiri writes: 

While some critics are embracing the absolute madness of this new world, others just can’t get behind the project. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, for instance, calls Francis Ford Coppola’s epic “megabloated and megaboring,” saying that despite its compelling question about the future of the U.S. empire, nothing can save the movie from bad acting and bad visual effects. Bradshaw gives the Megalopolis 2 out of 5 stars, saying: 

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair calls the drama “the junkiest of junk drawer movies” and a “passion project gone horribly wrong.” Lawson says for all of its faults, its datedness is what really tanks the movie, with only a few glimpses of a computer, no cellphones and people getting their news from newspapers. As for the plot, the critic says: 

Megalopolis is a polarizing movie, to be sure, and with 26 critics weighing in on Rotten Tomatoes following its Cannes premiere, the film is rated 46%. It will be interesting to see how the conversation surrounding this project that was decades in the making continues to evolve as we wait for a release date. Keep an eye on the 2024 movie calendar for that and all of the other upcoming releases. 

Everybody talks about Spielberg, Scorsese, and Tarantino when discussing the greatest American filmmakers, and for good reason. But, one prominent director who often gets left out of the conversation (pun not intended) is Francis Ford Coppola. And look, I get it. One might say that his best days (mostly in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and '90s) are behind him.

But, with his star-studded epic, Megalopolis, finally coming to theaters, I thought that now is as good a time as any to give the prestigious director his flowers. So, here are the ten best Francis Ford Coppola movies, ranked.  

10. Captain EO (1986) 

Really? Captain EO? On this list? And my answer to that is, yes, because Captain EO is awesome. 

Essentially a theme park attraction at Disney World (which unfortunately, is now shut down forever), Captain EO, which starred the King of Pop, is essentially Star Wars, but just the Han Solo parts… and starring Michael Jackson. Okay, that’s being a little reductive, but still, the story for this little-over-10-minutes film isn’t really all that important. What is important is that this was one of the first 4D movies ever, as mist would spray your face and the seats would rock to simulate what was going on on-screen.

And mind you, this came out in 1986, so it was a bold approach for a man who, up to this point anyway, stayed more in the lane of directing prestige pictures. That said, Captain EO is a really fun film, and definitely less terrifying than another Michael Jackson movie that scarred me for life.  

9. Rumble Fish (1983)  

The other Francis Ford Coppola/S.E. Hinton collaboration, one might argue that Rumble Fish is superior to The Outsiders, due to its avant-garde style, but I tend to believe that it’s just the more artistic movie. 

It is good though. Similar to The Outsiders, Rumble Fish is also about gangs, but it’s more focused on its two leads, those being Mickey Rourke as “The Motorcycle Boy,” and his younger brother, Rusty James, played by Matt Dillon. What really makes Rumble Fish shine though is how it feels like a more grown-up version of The Outsiders, similar to the book. 

In a sense, it almost feels philosophical in nature, even with its propulsive plot. I’m happy that Rumble Fish is finally getting more recognition these days. You can even get it on the Criterion Collection, which further shows its artistic nature.  

8. The Rainmaker (1997) 

Based on the excellent John Grisham novel of the same name, and starring the likes of Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, and Mickey Rourke, amongst others, The Rainmaker might be one of Coppola’s most underappreciated movies. 

The story of an upstart attorney (Damon) who pairs up with another lawyer (DeVito) to go after an insurance company, The Rainmaker goes deep into the minutiae of law, but still feels compelling throughout. 

It might be because we care about all of the characters, as each actor perfectly fits the role given to them. The story is constantly moving, and all of the personal, character-driven moments eventually coalesce and filter back into the overall plot. If I have any one complaint, it’s that it’s not quite as good as the book. But, very few film adaptations are, so I really can’t hold that against it. 

7. The Outsiders (1983) 

Undoubtedly shown in classrooms across the country, The Outsiders, which starred the likes of Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe (Who actually have an interesting story together surrounding this film), and many others, is fantastic. 

The story of a teenager named Ponyboy (played by C. Thomas Howell), who goes on the lam with his friend after his pal accidentally killed somebody, the rivalry between the Greasers and the Socs is played out to perfection in this classic ‘80s movie. 

Sure, the acting could be a little better at times, but for such a classic novel, the movie does a great job of replicating that ‘60s feeling that has made the book beloved by teenagers across the world. Even if it is 40 years old, this iconic movie has still found a way to stay golden.  

6. The Godfather Part III (1990) 

Probably the most controversial movie on this list, The Godfather Part III has a reputation as being a “bad” movie, but it’s not bad. It’s just nowhere near as good as the first two. 

The Godfather Part III is basically a redemption story. Michael (still played by Al Pacino) has been racked with guilt over murdering his brother, and he tries to legitimize the business by working with the Vatican. But, you know, just when he thinks he’s out, they pull him back in.

A lot of people harp on Sophia Coppola’s acting, and yes, it’s definitely an issue. But, the film is still entertaining, and Francis Ford Coppola still showed that he could step back into this world effectively. So, a masterpiece? No, but still a very good film, nonetheless. 

5. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) 

One of the best sexy horror movies of all time, Bram Stoker’s Dracula succeeds due to its atmosphere, and its performances. 

With a massive cast including Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and an absolutely amazing Gary Oldman, amongst others, this movie does a so-so job of actually retelling the famous novel, but it makes up for it in spades by being a convincingly gothic masterpiece that really can’t be beaten when it comes to its tone and mood. 

There might be other more accurate interpretations of Dracula, but this is still, to this very day, my absolute favorite. 

4. The Conversation (1974)  

Francis Ford Coppola holds the distinction of being one of the few directors who has had two films up for Best Picture in the same year. And, in 1974, those two films were the next entry on this list, and The Conversation, which stars Gene Hackman as an increasingly paranoid surveillance expert who may have just overheard a murder plot during a wire tapping. 

The Conversation is a taut (but deliberate) film, and it’s driven by Hackman’s thrilling performance, as he gets more and more concerned about both the lives that he overheard on the tape, but also his own. The film is unassumingly excellent, and by the end of it, you find yourself absolutely breathless.  

3. The Godfather Part II (1974)  

The first and rare example of a sequel film to win Best Picture, The Godfather Part II is deserving of the honor. Telling a dual story of Vito Corleone (Played by Robert De Niro) as a young man, and Michael Corleone (Pacino) as the current don, The Godfather Part II is sheer epic in scope. 

Given the day, I might say that Part II is better than the original, as it feels so much more personal. And, it has such great scenes! The shot of the Statue of Liberty, the kiss of death, the scene on the boat. By any metric, this would be any director’s best movie, but there are still two more slots available! 

2. Apocalypse Now (1979) 

Our pick for the best war movie ever made (and my personal favorite movie), Apocalypse Now is like a descent into madness. Starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and a very young Laurence Fishburne, Apocalypse Now takes place during Vietnam, but it centers around the themes of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. 

I love every last thing about this movie – the chilling narration, the slow, gradual pacing, the soundtrack, the visuals, and of course, the acting. Marlon Brando has never been more terrifying. I think Apocalypse Now is the greatest movie ever made, but I’m well aware of public opinion, and what most people consider to be Coppola’s best movie.  

1. The Godfather (1972)  

There’s probably no more classic crime film than The Godfather. There were many films about the mob prior to this ‘70s epic, but no film truly captured the attention and hearts more than Coppola’s first venture into the lives of the Corleone family.

And here’s the thing. I do love Part II, but the original is just so much leaner, and more impactful. Marlon Brando as Don Corleone is up there with the greatest characters in cinema history, right next to Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, and Darth Vader, and it’s impossible not to see the impact that this film had on cinema and television as a whole, even today. 

Whenever anybody ranks the greatest movies to ever win Best Picture, the original The Godfather is usually at the top of that list, and for good reason. It’s really that magnificent. 

And that’s the list! What’s your favorite Francis Ford Coppola movie? For more news on all things Coppola-related, be sure to swing around here often! 

Anyone who has seen Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation must wonder for at least a second if there is truth in Bill Murray’s character of a famous American actor in Japan to film a commercial. Well, there definitely is. Huge American and European stars have been hawking products in Japanese commercials for decades. 

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, some of whom you’d never expect to be selling cars and shampoo in the States, are happy to do it in Japan. While there was a time those stars may have been labeled as “sell-outs” in the U.S. for doing commercials, it was very lucrative to appear in ads in Japan, without the baggage. Here are just a few of the celebrities who have made those Japanese ads. 

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is known in the U.S. for her Miss Dior perfume commercials, but in Japan, she’s better known for selling Lux shampoo. The commercial we found is a pretty standard shampoo commercial, very similar to one you’d see in the States with long, flowing locks being flung to and fro. 

Jodie Foster

Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster is one of those actors you’d least expect to see in a commercial, but in the ‘90s, Foster starred in a campaign for Honda Civics. The commercials are pretty bland, with lots of shots of a smiling Foster standing near the Hondas she was selling. 

George Clooney

He may be one of the biggest movie stars of all time, but George Clooney isn’t above slinging coffee in Europe or doing extensive voice-over work on American commercials. In Japan, he’s the face of Kirin Beer in at least a couple of commercials, co-starring with some CGI songbirds. 

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves has developed a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. It makes sense that a product would be interested in having him as a spokesman. In the United States, he occasionally does a commercial or two, most notably for Squarespace. In Japan, he’s also popular. Like a lot of Western celebs, he’s been hired by the whiskey maker Suntory to do commercials. As always, he looks cool doing it. 

Madonna

At the height of Madonna’s fame in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it would’ve been very rare to see her endorse a product on TV in the United States, but in Japan, she was part of a big campaign for Takara, a whiskey made by Blanton’s for the Japanese market. The commercials don’t look like they took up much of the Material Girl’s time, however, as they are just cuts from her music videos spliced with buzzwords and shots of the bourbon. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lately, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been showing up in more and more commercials. At the 2024 Super Bowl, he was in a State Farm ad, for example. It seems the former Governator likes the idea of picking up a nice paycheck for a minimal amount of work, and who can blame him? It’s something he’s been doing in Japan for decades, going back to the pinnacle of his fame in the ‘90s when he endorsed an energy drink called Alinamin V. These might be the strangest of all the commercials too, featuring Schwarzenegger’s giant head popping out the bottle and other over-the-top images. 

Miles Davis

No one defines “cool” quite like Miles Davis did. The late jazz legend had a reputation for being prickly, but fans still wanted to be him. His sound on trumpet was unique, as was his style, and it all oozes authenticity. Endorsing products in the U.S. might have branded him a “sell-out” to his fans, but in the ‘80s, he could go to Japan, where he was also a big star, and shoot commercials for Honda Scooters, and no one would be the wiser in North America. 

Britney Spears

Britney Spears might be the least surprising person on this list. At the height of her fame in the late ‘90s, she’s exactly the kind of celebrity that would be huge in Japan. Spears took advantage of that fame, starring in a series of commercials for Go Go Tea. The pop star also appeared in an ad for Mikakuto Gummy Candies as well. 

Harrison Ford

Back in 1996, Entertainment Weekly reported that Hollywood stars could make anywhere from $500K to $2 million for a couple of days’ work on a Japanese commercial. It explains why actors like Harrison Ford, who no one would have expected to see in an ad in the ‘90s in America, would spend a few days in Japan shooting commercials for Kirin beer. We don’t know how much he made, but it’s safe to assume the Star Wars star made enough to pay Jabba back and then some. 

Cameron Diaz

SoftBank is one of the largest holding companies in Japan and it loves to bring over American stars to promote its services. One such star was Cameron Diaz, who in the mid-’00s starred in commercials and print ads all over Tokyo for the cell phone giant. No doubt such a campaign made it possible for the actress to semi-retire in 2014. 

Brad Pitt

Coffee, specifically canned coffee, seems to be one of the more lucrative areas of advertising for Western stars in Japan. None other than Brad Pitt even showed up in one in the ‘90s. Pitt stars as an office worker getting more work done after drinking a can of Roots Coffee. 

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis is big in Japan. He’s been spotted selling everything from cars to financial services. Daihatsu and SoftBank have both hired the Die Hard legend to hawk their wares. He even learned a phrase or two in Japanese for the spots. 

Sharon Stone

Just as in America and Europe, Japanese beauty brands love to hire a famous actress to taut their product’s ability to make everyone as beautiful as they are. Sharon Stone was a major spokeswoman for Vernal soaps, for example. Stone also appeared in commercials for jewelry and other luxury wares. 

Ben Stiller

When you watch the Kirin ad Ben Stiller did back in the late ‘90s, it makes you wonder if it was the main inspiration for Zoolander. It feels like an outtake from the movie about a male model, it’s so goofy. Don’t get it wrong, it’s supposed to be over-the-top and funny, so it fits the character of Derek Zoolander perfectly, even if Stiller wasn’t actually playing the role. It’s also better than Zoolander 2.

Francis Ford Coppola

Of course, the most famous example in the West of a star doing Japanese commercials is the fictional Bob Harris (Bill Murray) doing Suntory ads in Lost In Translation. The inspiration for the film, or part of it, had to be Sofia Coppola’s father, Francis Ford Coppola doing ads in Japan in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Including one for Fuji Cassettes, and yes, Suntory whiskey. 

Sylvester Stallone

Rocky star Sylvester Stallone got on the Japanese advertising train back in the mid-’90s, including doing some very strange commercials for Bayern Sausages. An Italian-American doing ads for German sausages in Japan. It’s the UN of commercials! 

Brooke Shields

Back in the ‘80s, Brooke Shields was huge. For much of the decade, she found a lot of work in Japan in ads for everything from tissues to coffee to stereos. No doubt that helped her pay for her Princeton education, where she studied during a break from her career in the mid-’80s. 

Richard Gere

In 2009, Japanese company Suntory bought Orangina, the sparking orange beverage from France. Almost immediately, Suntory did what they had done so often in the past, they hired an American actor for an ad campaign. Richard Gere starred in a few commercials for the brand at the dawn of the 2010s, playing a classic Japanese comedy character from the ‘60s and ‘70s named Tora-san.  

Audrey Hepburn

By the early 1970s, Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn had already semi-retired from acting, starring only sporadically in a few movies in the ‘70s before bowing out completely. Still, she did work in Japan occasionally in commercials, including one for wigs from 1970, which seems pretty odd, but hey, it’s Audrey Hepburn, so who are we to question it?

Leonardo DiCaprio

Even the great Leonardo DiCaprio has gotten in on the Japanese ad business, hawking credit cards in the ‘90s and Jim Beam more recently. You might expect the latter, but definitely not the former, in the United States. 

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway is another glamorous actress who has been known to pop up in luxury and beauty ads in Japan. One product, Lux Shampoo, is well known for using American stars in its ads for its products. The rom-com star pitched for the company a few times in the mid-’00s. 

Sammy Davis, Jr.

Suntory Whiskey definitely takes the win for grabbing some of the biggest stars from the U.S. to sell its products. Even way back in the ‘70s, it was paying Sammy Davis, Jr. to do commercials for them. They even got him to scat for one of them, and it’s a gem. 

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones has been a regular in Japanese commercials for a long time, and watching some of the more bizarre ones, he’s clearly having a lot of fun. It definitely references his role in the Men in Black series, but beyond that, it’s hard to pin what they are about, exactly, except that he’s selling coffee. 

Nicolas Cage

It’s no surprise to find Nicolas Cage on this list, now is it? Going back a couple of decades, the actor did a series of commercials for Pachinko games, which are Japanese slot machines and pinball machines.

Kyle MacLachlan

In what might be the absolute best and most bizarre entry on this list, Kyle MacLachlan starred in a whole series of commercials for Georgia Coffee as Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. The commercials played out like a bizarre mystery, just like the show, and also featured other characters from the show, and the famous intro. It’s truly awesome… and weird… and awesome.

Sean Connery

If you want someone elegant and cool to advertise your whiskey, why not hire James Bond himself, Sean Connery? That’s exactly what Suntory did in the early ‘90s and he’s everything you want him to be in the ad. 

Hugh Jackman

When you have the talents of a true song-and-dance man like Hugh Jackman, it’s smart to take advantage of that. It’s what Lipton Ice Tea did in 2010 to amazing results with the Deadpool & Wolverine star dancing around a Japanese hotel. 

Cindy Crawford

Cindy Crawford was the most famous model in the world in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so it’s no surprise she’d been seen on Japanese TV selling lots of stuff, as she was virtually everywhere else in the world. For example, in Japan, she hawked a sports drink called Pocari Sweat. Sweat seems like an odd thing to name your drink, but Crawford could sell anything in those days. 

John Travolta

Canned drinks are huge in Japan and the competition for customers is intense, which has led to a lot of American stars getting lucrative gigs. John Travolta is one such star, who was hired to appear in an ad for Tokyo Drink. Naturally, he danced his way through it. 

Hulk Hogan

Professional wrestling has long been hugely popular in Japan. American wrestling stars like Hulk Hogan have been traveling to Japan to work for decades. With that fame, came commercials for the Hulkster, like one in the early ‘90s hawking Hitachi Air Conditioners. 

Quentin Tarantino

It’s not always just actors either. Quentin Tarantino, whose Kill Bill movies are a tribute to Japanese culture, popped up in an ad for SoftBank’s cell phone service. The director looks like he had a blast making the spots, too. 

Kiefer Sutherland

When 24 debuted, it instantly became one of the biggest hits on TV, and that success translated to Japanese TV as well. So much so, that Kiefer Sutherland was hired by the energy drink Calorie Mate to star in a series of commercials in the style of the spy show. 

There was a time when “selling out” was a real concern for artists and their fans. It’s far more common today to see big stars in commercials. Before it became okay to be seen selling stuff on TV, those big names could head to Japan for a nice paycheck, without retribution from hardcore fans. Until the internet, it was rare for an American or European to even know the stars had done it. Now with the internet, we get to see all these great commercials they were doing. 

The directors on this list are among the greatest in the history of cinema, with films that are considered the best of all time; films that will never be forgotten. What about those movies they brought all their tremendous talents to, but which aren’t remembered as well? Here is our list of great movies, by great directors, that don’t get talked about enough these days. 

The Frighteners - Peter Jackson

The Frighteners is such a great movie, and it’s criminally underrated. No, it's not as sprawling or overwhelming as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, but it has all the heart and more. Michael J. Fox leads as a con man/exorcist who can see and interact with ghosts. The Frightners is really funny, well-paced, and delightful. 

The King Of Comedy - Martin Scorsese 

When you think of Martin Scorsese, “comedy” is not usually the first word that pops into your head, but The King Of Comedy is really a pretty great movie, and while it’s technically a comedy, it’s really dark. Goodfellas has some comedy in it, like Joe Pesci acting like a clown… but a true (dark) comedy? This Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis-led film stands alone in Scorsese’s canon. 

Peggy Sue Got Married - Francis Ford Coppola

Peggy Sue Got Married is a deceptively simple film. Unlike Francis Ford Coppola’s more-talked-about epics like The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, this film, starring Nicolas Cage and Kathleen Turner, is smaller, but that doesn’t mean it’s lesser. It’s a weird time-travel tale, but at its heart, it’s really a love story, and while it's not Coppola’s best work, it’s well worth a watch and should be talked about more often. 

Jackie Brown - Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Taratino has famously said that his next movie, his 10th, could be his last. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet Jackie Brown will still be his least talked about.

Strange Days - Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow’s won Oscars (for The Hurt Locker) and she’s directed cult classics (Point Break). Strange Days is certainly closer to the latter. In it, Bigelow dabbles in science fiction, a rarity for her, but it’s unsurprising, as Strange Days was written by her then-husband James Cameron. It doesn’t have the iconic quotes that Point Break has, nor is it as white-knuckle as The Hurt Locker, but it is a great time capsule to filmmaking in the mid-90s and well worth remembering. 

Amistad - Steven Spielberg

Wedged between The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, is Amistad. It’s easy to understand why this powerful historical drama revolving around a landmark court case regarding the slave trade is overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a moving story, told expertly as only Spielberg can, with a monster cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, and Djimon Hounsou, among many others. 

Clockers - Spike Lee

Let’s be clear here, Clockers is not Spike Lee’s finest work. It doesn’t reach the heights of movies like Do The Right Thing or Malcolm X, but it's still a really good movie. It gets lost in Lee’s stellar filmography, which is understandable. It’s also a testament to just how good Lee’s career has been. 

Talk Radio - Oliver Stone

Talk Radio has everything you expect from an Oliver Stone movie. Its pacing and storytelling are perfect, it’s a fascinating and terrifying story that pulls from the real-world events of a murdered radio show host. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy, as any great Stone film does. 

The Bling Ring - Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring is a meta-tastic heist film that is not only a ton of fun to watch with celebrity cameos and great acting performances, but it also touches on some of the emerging trends that exploded in the years after the movie came out, notably influencer culture. It’s too often overlooked in Coppola’s stellar filmography. 

The Game - David Fincher

David Fincher is a master, and his filmography is full of great movies, like Se7en and Fight Club. The movie he made between those two classic is The Game with Sean Penn and Michael Douglas. Understandably, it’s overshadowed, but it’s an amazing film that is every bit as good as those two more talked-about movies. Even when people watch Fincher’s whole body of work, The Game gets overlooked and it shouldn’t. 

Casualties Of War - Brian De Palma

Casualties of War was released in 1989, which was the tail end of a slew of excellent Vietnam War movies released in the late ‘80s, like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Hamburger Hill. Despite earning well-deserved praise from critics, the Brian De Palma film bombed, and as such, it's unfortunately one of the director’s least talked about movies when it should be one of the most. 

Matchstick Men - Ridley Scott

Usually, when movie fans talk about Ridley Scott, it’s his sprawling historical epics like Gladiator or Napoleon that dominate the conversation, along with sci-fi classics like Alien and Blade Runner. Matchstick Men is a smaller movie, a dark comedy about a con man with a myriad of personal problems played by Nicolas Cage. It’s a wonderful performance by Cage, and despite not performing well at the box office, it’s been well-reviewed over the years.

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson

Inherent Vice from Paul Thomas Anderson is a complicated movie, based on a complicated book by Thomas Pinchon. It’s easy to understand why it’s not as talked about as some of Anderson’s other movies, like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, but it’s every bit as good as those, featuring great acting performances and wonderful cinematography. 

Out Of Sight - Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderberg is known for stylish filming techniques with snappy dialog and interesting plot twists. It’s all right there in Out Of Sight, but the movie still gets overlooked. It was Soderbergh’s first big-budget film, and maybe that’s why it doesn’t get talked about enough. It was also his first collaboration with George Clooney, which makes it even more confounding that it’s not more popular. 

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick

It’s hard to really argue that any of Stanley Kubrick’s films are not talked about enough, but Barry Lyndon comes the closest here. It’s most revered for its cinematography, but it’s also a wonderful story. While it doesn’t have the panache of A Clockwork Orange or the scope of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s still a Kubrick film and it’s one of the best ever made. 

Stardust - Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn has quietly put together one of the finest resumes in Hollywood. The Kingsman movies are a hot franchise, he’s dabbled in Marvel, and may have inspired the choice of Daniel Craig as James Bond after directing him in Layer Cake. Stardust seems to get lost in the shuffle, but it’s maybe, low key, his best film. 

Ryan's Daughter - David Lean

David Lean is rightfully most remembered for three films, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago. Lost in the discussion of those films is Ryan’s Daughter, a retelling of Madame Bovary set at the end of World War I. It was the last film Lean directed for 14 years and we can only wonder what he might have done had he not semi-retired. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson has developed one of the most distinct styles in film history, which translates brilliantly to animation, as well. Anderson’s first foray into the genre was Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray, among others. While it may never outshine his live-action classics, it should be discussed more as one of his best works. 

Bound - The Wachowskis

The DNA of the Wachowskis is very evident in Bound, their first movie. It was made on a shoestring budget, so it doesn’t have the over-the-top effects of The Matrix series, but you can see where they were headed in their filmmaking. 

Intolerable Cruelty - Coen Brothers

When you have a filmography like the Coen Brothers, inevitably, some of the movies won’t get talked about as much as others. Intolerable Cruelty is one of those that gets lost in the mix, behind movies like The Big Lebowski and others that are among the best movies of the ‘90s and beyond. 

Insomnia - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is among the most beloved directors of the 21st century, creating what feels like independent films, but with monster budgets. That DNA was on display early in his career with Insomnia, which has everything you’d expect from a Nolan movie, but with less than half the budget of Oppenheimer. 

The Fan - Tony Scott

There are few better action directors in Hollywood history than Tony Scott. Most remembered today for classics like Top Gun, and Days of Thunder, The Fan should be talked about more. It’s not a perfect movie, but De Niro’s performance is terrifying (in a great way) as a baseball fan obsessed with Wesley Snipes' character. It’s action horror, and it’s great. 

Vincent And Theo - Robert Altman

Robert Altman had one of the most up-and-down careers in Hollywood history. After a string of successes in the ‘80s, his career was almost sunk by Popeye. It took years for him to rebound, but he did with Vincent & Theo. That led to a career revival, but it’s hardly remembered anymore, overshadowed by his early and later films. 

She's Having A Baby - John Hughes

One of the biggest reasons John Hughes is so loved by people who came of age in the ‘80s and ‘90s was his ability to write and direct genuine teenage characters. That extended to a young married couple starting their lives together in She’s Having A Baby. It’s not as quotable as some of Hughes’ other movies, but it’s still sharply written and a fun watch. 

Only The Lonely - Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus has some directed some huge films in his career, most notably Home Alone and Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. He's also got movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Adventures in Babysitting on his resume. One film that is not talked about enough is Only The Lonely starring John Candy as a man looking for a wife, but dealing with a controlling mother. 

Beowulf - Robert Zemeckis

Generations of high schoolers have been confounded and frustrated by Beowulf. Some love the old English classic, but many hate it. It takes a bold director to take it on as a movie. Robert Zemeckis makes it work, and work well. Still, given the material, it’s not a surprise it’s not talked about as much as Zemeckis’ more popular movies like Back to the Future. 

Great Expectations - Alfonso Cuaron

Director Alfonso Cuaron has made some of the best movies of the last 20 years, including Roma, Gravity, and Y tu mamá también. One of his films that doesn’t get talked about much anymore is 1998’s Great Expectations starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. It’s a bold modernization of the classic Dickens novel that can be polarizing, but still worth talking about more.

Ed Wood - Tim Burton

Of all the movies Tim Burton has made, it’s unsurprising that Ed Wood is one of his least discussed. It’s a love letter to legendary B-Movie director Ed Wood, and despite being filled to the brim with great performances, it's not as popular as many of Burton’s other works. 

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil - Clint Eastwood

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is not exactly the kind of film you might expect from Clint Eastwood, but you should. Some of his best work is when he strays away from the tough guy movies he’s so well known for and this is a great one, starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. 

Away We Go - Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes is best known for movies that cover heavy topics, movies like American Beauty, 1917, and Road to Perdition. That's probably the reason 2009's Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph isn't talked about as much, but it's a sweet movie about a couple dealing with major changes in their life and how to handle them. 

Sleepers - Barry Levinson

Sleepers is a dark, dark film. It's also really, really good. With an all-star cast that includes Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, and many more, it's surprising it doesn't get talked about as much as some of director Barry Levinson's other work, but given the subject matter, it can be a very hard watch.  

High Anxiety - Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks is a living legend and his filmography is filled with some of the most quotable movies of all time. One that doesn't get quoted much, or even talked about much, is High Anxiety. It was, believe it or not, the first time Mel Brooks also played the lead in one of his movies, so that alone should garner more attention. 

Great directors usually have long filmographies, so it's only natural that some of their finest work would be talked about less than their most groundbreaking or biggest films. That said, many movies should be talked about as much as those classics, but aren't. Here's to that changing now! 

Social media trends can be pretty unpredictable and honestly, weird. The most recent fad, initially popularized on TikTok, revolves around women posing the question to men: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Surprisingly, to everyone but men, many have responded by claiming they ponder the ancient civilization daily or multiple times a week. Even more surprising is that even Hollywood heavyweights are jumping on board. One such luminary is none other than renowned Godfather trilogy director Francis Ford Coppola, and his answer might not come as a shock to those familiar with his oeuvre. Now, someone get Christopher Nolan on the phone, because I need to know his answer. 

The iconic filmmaker behind one of the most realistic war films, Apocalypse Now, willingly joined in on the trend, asking himself the question and providing his take via Instagram. As the 84-year-old director explains, he thinks about the long-gone Republic quite often and for good reason. He wrote:

Francis Ford Coppola's answer hints at a profound connection between the Roman Empire's allure and its lasting impact on American culture and cinema. The Roman Republic's democratic ideals and political structure have served as a wellspring of inspiration for the United States, visibly reflected in its governmental systems and architectural designs. However, Coppola's curiosity goes even further, as he elaborated: 

We definitely should've expected such a cerebral answer from one of the world's most renowned filmmakers. While his words provide quite a bit for fans to chew on, I'd still love to hear what Christopher Nolan thinks about the empire. It goes without saying the Oppenheimer helmer is also one of the film world's greatest minds, and it wouldn't be surprising if had some keen thoughts to share as well. So please, someone pose the question to him during an interview very soon.

As for the specifics of Francis Ford Coppola's latest feature, they're deliberately being kept under wraps. Yet what we do know about Megalopolis is it features an impressive cast that includes renowned actors like Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza. But the exciting news didn’t stop there. In August 2022, it was reported that the ensemble would include Shia LaBeouf (who was notably later seen in Greek goddess attire), Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Grace VanderWaal, Kathryn Hunter and James Remar. 

The Bram Stoker's Dracula director has intriguingly characterized the decades-spanning epic sci-fi drama as an enigmatic piece that eludes simple classification. It’s worth noting that the Academy Award winner had seemingly quit making movies, as he'd been absent from the cinema scene for over a decade. So his return should be an eagerly anticipated event for many film enthusiasts. With all this in mind, the question that naturally arises is: What connection does the Roman Empire hold within the context of this mysterious project?

Anticipate further updates and news about Megalopolis at some point in the near future. In the meantime, I'll be pondering the other filmmakers and Hollywood A-listers should be asked about the Roman Empire. Michael Bay would probably provide a doozy of an answer but, again, let's hope Christopher Nolan is asked sometime soon.

Stay informed on the latest big-screen offerings using our schedule 2023 new movie releases.

Minor spoilers for Barbie lie ahead, so read at your own risk.

Barbie and Oppenheimer came out on the same day, and that decision resulted in a massive opening weekend at the box office for "Barbenheimer." Both continue to dominate at the theaters this weekend as well and, quite frankly, you love to see it. What's most satisfying about all this is that both movies are fantastic as well and have received strong reactions from critics and general audiences alike. Overall, the financial cumes of the major flicks are great for the entertainment industry in general. Now, The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola is weighing in on the phenomenon. 

When asked if he'd seen either movie during a Q&A on his Instagram story, the 84-year-old filmmaker revealed he's yet to make his way to the theater to see either of them. However, he's aware of the excitement surrounding the unlikely Barbie/Oppenheimer double feature and had nothing but glowing thoughts to share in regard to what their releases mean for the movie business. He said (via The Hollywood Reporter):

Hopefully, Barbenheimer's success means moviegoers are indeed looking for big motion pictures from filmmakers, who are putting out high-quality work. Francis Ford Coppola should really get out there and see the movies, as both take some inspiration from his work. Greta Gerwig's fantasy flick even has a scene in which one of the Kens is watching The Godfather and then feels the need to mansplain (or Kensplain) it to one of the Barbies. It's a hilarious scene that likely had audiences howling, and one would hope the legendary director will have a good sense of humor about it as well.

It's wonderful to see two great films -- with original concepts -- getting such love at the box office. While Barbie is indeed based on a pre-established property, it still features a fresh spin on the beloved doll. Cinema lovers have other fresh creations to look forward to in the years to come. For instance, there's the Apocalypse Now filmmaker’s latest project -- the long-awaited Megalopolis. The film features an all-star cast of movie stars like Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza and is said to be a decades-spanning sci-fi epic. It had quite a production journey but wrapped filming earlier this year. 

While Francis Ford Coppola hasn’t had the chance to visit the cinemas and indulge either of the flicks that make up Barbenheimer, other directors apparently have. Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino were seen buying their tickets or catching a showing, which speaks to just how much attention the features have earned. While Coppola has critiqued recent movies like Dune and No Time To Die, he always seems to respect strong filmmaking. So I’m glad he appreciates this most recent box office resurgence and would love to hear his takes on the blockbuster films once he finally has a chance to see them.

You can see Barbie and explore the Oppenheimer timeline now by visiting your local cinema. You can also revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary The Godfather trilogy using a Paramount+ subscription, as we wait for Megalopolis to finally get a release date. For more information on other films heading to theaters in the near future, consult our schedule of 2023 new movie releases. 

One of the premier members of a group of filmmakers known as “New Hollywood,” Francis Ford Coppola has long been one of the most respected and ambitious names in around, turning out classic ‘70s movies like The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Apocalypse Now, among others. But the five-time Academy Award winner hasn’t released a new movie in more than a decade (the longest stretch of his career), leading some to wonder what he’s been up to since Twixt came out in 2011, besides speaking out against superhero movies.

The legendary filmmaker has spent the past few years piecing together what could very well be his most ambitious, most star-studded, and most complicated picture yet – a sci-fi epic titled Megalopolis. If this is the first you’re hearing about the long-in-the-works passion project, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the Francis Ford Coppola movie so far, including its release date, cast, trailer, and when we might see it on the big screen. 

What Is The Megalopolis Release Date?

After months, even years, of not having a release date or even a distributor, IndieWire announced in June 2024 that Megalopolis will released in theaters on September 27, 2024, with Lionsgate handling distribution in the United States.

The Megalopolis Cast Includes Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, And More

Francis Ford Coppola has assembled what could very well be one of the most-stacked casts in modern Hollywood history, if not ever, for his latest film. With stars like Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburne, and more, there are just so many great names in the Megalopolis cast. Let’s meet them now.

Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina

Adam Driver leads the Megalopolis cast as Cesar Catilina, a character described by AP as Roman emperor-like figure determined to build a new New York with a fresh vision for its future.

Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero

Game of Thrones and Fast & Furious star Nathalie Emmanuel shows up in Megalopolis as Julia Cicero, Cesar’s love interest and the socialite daughter of the city’s powerful mayor, per The Wrap.

Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine

Laurence Fishburne, who is no stranger to ambitious sci-fi projects like The Matrix, shows up in Francis Ford Coppola’s new movie as Fundi Romaine, Cesar’s right-hand man, as pointed out by Evening Standard.

Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklin Cicero

Giancarlo Esposito, whose star has been on the rise over the past decade-and-a-half thanks to shows like Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian, appears in Megalopolis as Mayor Franklin Cicero. Described as a corrupt official by Vanity Fair, the character is Cesar’s biggest obstacle in his quest to rebuild for a better tomorrow.

Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum

Aubrey Plaza will show up in Megalopolis as Wow Platinum, a character described by Deadline as an ambitious Machiavellian journalist who’ll stop at nothing. 

Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher

Shia LaBeouf appears in Megalopolis as Clodio Pulcher, who, according to People, is Cesar’s cousin. LaBeouf can be seen all over the Megalopolis trailer stoking the fires.

Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III

Jon Voight shows up in Megalopolis as Hamilton Crassus III, who, according to People, is Cesar’s uncle and the head of a national bank.

Dustin Hoffman as Nush Berman

According to Slate, Dustin Hoffman will be portraying Nush Berman, a high-power fixer who works with Cesar on his plans to rebuild the decimated city.

But this is just barely scratching the surface of the massive Megalopolis cast, as the highly-anticipated film will feature a couple dozen high-profile names before everything is said and done.

The Megalopolis Trailer Teases Catastrophe, Politics, And A New Beginning

After what seems like years of hearing about Francis Ford Coppola’s new and ambitious project, the director himself finally released a first glimpse at the movie with the Megalopolis trailer. Though technically a teaser clocking in at 90 seconds, the preview is full of details, characters, and stunning visuals that set the tone for what’s to come.

After Laurence Fishburne’s narrator asks “When does an empire die?” we are thrown into the world of Megalopolis, one that shows the destruction of New York City, the politics surrounding its rebuild, and the hope of a new beginning, one that will go beyond the status quo and reach for greatness and a better tomorrow.

Megalopolis Tells The Story Of A Modern Society On The Brink Of Crumbling Like Ancient Rome

As seen in the Megapolis trailer, Francis Ford Coppola’s epic sci-fi drama, will tell the story of a modern society at a crucial turning point following a cataclysmic disaster and how it makes its next steps.In a sprawling interview with Deadline earlier in 2022, Coppola, while not sharing too much in terms of specifics, said it was “exciting to have an opportunity to delve into themes that are really important,” later bringing up humanity, utopia, and the climate crisis. How those themes get wrapped up into Megalopolis is anyone’s guess, for now.

The Movie Has Been A Passion Project For Francis Ford Coppola Since The 1980s

Making incredibly ambitious movies that require years of hard work, dedication, and a level of stress that would break most has been a major aspect of the director’s career, especially when it comes to his two most well-known films, The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. It’s not that big of a stretch to say that Megalopolis falls into that same category, as Coppola has been working on the passion project since the 1980s, according to The Hollywood Reporter. When speaking about the movie with Deadline in April 2019, Coppola had this to say about it:

Coppola, at the time, admitted that the ambitious project was not “within the mainstream of what is produced” but he was nevertheless encouraged to get the ball rolling. 

Francis Ford Coppola Put Up $120 Million Of His Own Money To Finally Get Megalopolis Off The Ground

When Megalopolis finally does see the light of day, it will be due in large part to the hard work, dedication, and tons of cash the creator has put into the project. When sitting down with GQ in February 2022, Coppola talked at length about the movie as well as everything he has put into it in order to get it off the ground, including self-funding the production by selling a large piece of his wine company as collateral for a line of credit to fund the project, saying: 

The total budget of Megalopolis hasn’t been revealed, but according to Coppola, it is going to take a few years before it is ready for release, which could very well make this the final large-scale project of his career.

What Is The Megalopolis Rating?

After months of speculation, we finally know what Megalopolis will be rated. According to FilmRatings.com, Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming epic will be rated R for sexual content, nudity, drug use, language, and violence.

What Is Megalopolis’s Runtime?

In the Cannes Film Festival program, where the ambitious, self-funded project premiered in May 2024, the Megalopolis runtime is listed at 138 minutes. So, with trailers, you’ll be spending a little more than two-and-a-half hours when you go to the theater.

Expect to hear more about Megalopolis in the coming weeks and months. Until then, check out the 2024 movie schedule to get caught up to speed on everything else coming to the big screen this year.

Controversial actor Shia LaBeouf has landed his next project following his alleged dismissal from Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling. The 36-year-old Honey Boy actor was spotted completely unrecognizable in Greek goddess drag on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s longtime passion project Megalopolis. While the actor seems to be enjoying himself strutting on set, if rumors are to believe, there may already be trouble in paradise for the production. But what would a Coppola production be without its share of behind-the-scenes drama and controversy?

The New York Post published images of LaBeouf on the set of Coppola’s decade-spanning epic science fiction drama, donning a white, flowing gown, as well as wearing large gold jewelry and a matching headpiece. The actor can also be seen completing the look with black acrylic nails and pencil-thin eyebrows. 

Megalopolis had a star-studded A-list cast attached to it. Adam Driver, Jason Schwartzman, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, and Kaleidoscope and Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito were all set to join LaBeouf on the production. However, insiders close to the project have told The Hollywood Reporter that the $120 million picture (which Coppola self-financed) is in peril following a ballooning budget and an exodus of several key cast and crew.

Several insiders have alleged the set is complete madness and is supposedly tearing apart at the seams. The movie (filming in Atlanta) is halfway through its planned 80-90 day production but has reportedly lost its production designer, supervising art director, and entire visual effects team. Some close to the project have even gone as far as saying the project is giving major “Apocalypse Now vibes”--another Coppola film that had a disastrous production, famously documented in the award-winning documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. However, the movie maker was still able to shape that movie into one of the greatest war films ever made.

Francis Ford Coppola denies any onset turmoil, even going as far as to claim he’s still very much on budget. The director said:

Those close to the project say Megalopolis began its production utilizing the same LED screen technology (known as the volume) pioneered on the set of Disney’s The Mandalorian and which Warner Bros took a cue from for The Batman. As production costs continued to skyrocket on Megalopolis, The God Father director is allegedly pivoting to a more cost-effective traditional green screen technique for the remainder of the shoot.

Only time will tell if Coppola's alleged cost-cutting will save production. Will Megalopolis be a total disaster or another all-time great film from the legendary Hollywood director? Regardless of how the movie turns out, it’s hard to deny Shia LaBeouf looks fabulous in his goddess look. And, I suppose, we will always have that, at least.

If there are any updates regarding the production of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, we here at CinemaBlend will be the first to let you know. Until then, check out our 2023 new movie releases list to plan your next trip to the cinema. 

Earlier today, the world was saddened by the announcement that iconic actor James Caan had died at the age of 82. Fans almost immediately started posting tributes on social media to the man known for, among many projects, The Godfather and Misery. Adam Sandler and more reacted to the news, there are stories attesting to Caan’s generosity as a performer and as a human being.

Having worked with the actor on both 1998’s Bulletproof and 2012’s That’s My Boy, Adam Sandler shared his memories on Twitter. Paying tribute to his co-star, Sandler posted a sweet message along with a vintage photo of James Caan: 

James Caan’s legacy wasn’t only limited to his performances, as he was apparently quite the raconteur. Chucky star Jennifer Tilly shared a story she’d heard from her Jericho Mansions co-star about a bit of prank he’d pulled on The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Tilly’s Tweet says:

Even in a voice role like Tim Lockwood in the animated comedy/streaming favorite Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, there was room for James Caan to give his collaborators a story they’d remember forever. Co-writer/director Chris Miller Tweeted about that experience by way of sharing this memory of Caan as an acting talent:

Another one of James Caan’s most memorable roles comes from the legendary film adaptation of Misery, the Stephen King novel. Collaborating with co-star Kathy Bates and director Rob Reiner on that thriller masterpiece, both took to Twitter to remember their friend with the following messages:

Kathy Bates: I’m heartbroken to hear of Jimmy’s passing. Shocked. No words. Thank you, Jimmy. Love you, your ‘Kat’

Rob Reiner: So sorry to hear the news. I loved working with him. And the only Jew I knew who could calf rope with the best of them. Love to the family.

A legend in his own right, action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger Tweeted his own remembrance as well. Working with James Caan in Eraser, a project that could be counted among Schwarzenegger’s best movies, Arnold even highlighted Caan’s prowess at the gym in his tribute:

In director Michael Mann’s feature debut Thief, James Caan’s role as safe cracker Frank helped cement the Miami Vice creator as a film legend. It would further inform his experience making Heat, which is still regarded as the best movie about bank robbing. That experience was a valuable one for Mann, and in a statement he issued personally, he reflected on the results:

Wrapping the tributes to James Caan are the remarks of the friends and co-stars he made during his work on The Godfather. As Francis Ford Coppola issued a statement through Deadline, co-stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro did so as well through that same publication. Their remarks are combined below, in a fitting nod to Caan's work on this American classic: 

Francis Ford Coppola: Jimmy was someone who stretched through my life longer and closer than any motion picture figure I’ve ever known. From those earlier times working together on The Rain People, and throughout all the milestones of my life, his films and the many great roles he played will never be forgotten. He will always be my old friend from Sunnyside, my collaborator and one of the funniest people I’ve ever known.

Al Pacino: Jimmy was my fictional brother and my lifelong friend. It’s hard to believe that he won’t be in the world anymore because he was so alive and daring. A great actor, a brilliant director and my dear friend. I’m gonna miss him.

Robert De Niro: I’m very very sad to hear about Jimmy’s passing.

This is only a sampling of how James Caan's legacy is being remembered today, through the words of his peers and his fans. As time goes on, only more will be available to peruse, further highlighting his contribution to cinema. Our sincerest condolences go out to Caan's friends and family, in this emotional time.

As one of the most famous films of all time, The Godfather has long been discussed by a plethora of cinephiles, and served as the subject of many written behind-the-scenes accounts and DVD featurettes. But no live-action project has taken the particular viewpoint that Paramount+’s The Offer is giving its subscribers, as it lays out producer Albert S. Ruddy’s version of the obstacle-filled path that was taken that led to the first part of Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus’ existence. Playing The Offer’s Coppola is Walking Dead vet and Fantastic Beasts franchise trumpeter Dan Fogler, who is a big fan of the director’s reported impetus for crafting The Godfather’s iconic action sequences. 

When CinemaBlend spoke with The Offer cast members Dan Fogler and Patrick Gallo (who portrays author Mario Puzo), I brought up the streaming drama’s scenes depicting real-world inspirations behind some of The Godfather’s most memorable moments. And Fogler shared his appreciation for Francis Ford Coppola creating cinematic gold born from others’ lack of faith in his talents. In his words:

Few things serve as better motivation than someone saying “You don’t have what it takes to do this.” So this almost feels like a case where the world at large should be grateful for anybody involved at the time who wouldn’t use “Francis Ford Coppola” and “director of solid action scenes” in the same sentence. For their words paved the way for Al Pacino to kick off his future highlight reel with a particularly brutal pair of murders, as well as setting the course for Michael Corleone’s underworld ascent.

Dan Fogler then brought up The Godfather co-star James Caan, whose character Sonny unforgettably suffered a fate similar to that of the likewise bravado-driven Bonnie and Clyde. As the actor put it:

In a world where an entire sub-industry exists for “direct-to-consumer” action flicks that would never see the lights of a proper theater, it’s obviously a different time than the early 1970s when The Godfather was coming together. But I can’t imagine many, if any, of that sub-industry’s releases have the kind of action-oriented backstories as that of the 1973 Best Picture winner, as depicted in The Offer’s first season. 

Certainly, Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece would earn the same kind of consideration even without its noteworthy shootouts and brawls. But as evidenced by Dan Fogler, those sequences are definitely part of the reason we’re still talking about and watching The Godfather to this day. 

We’re also talking about The Godfather due to The Offer itself, which debuted with a three-episode premiere on Paramount+, with new episodes hitting the streaming service every Thursday. While waiting to see Grey’s Anatomy vet Justin Chambers as Marlon Brando, be sure to check out everything else on the way with our 2022 TV premiere schedule!

It seems that we just can’t get away from great classic directors telling us everything that is wrong with modern Hollywood. Every couple of months we have to relitigate what Martin Scorsese thinks of Marvel movies, and any time a director of traditionally Oscar-worthy projects makes a new movie somebody is apparently required to ask them what they think of superhero movies or if they would make one. Francis Ford Coppola has already taken his shots at Marvel, but now he’s expanding his criticism to include other big movies, like Dune and No Time to Die.

Speaking with GQ, Francis Ford Coppola draws a line between what he calls “studio pictures” and “Marvel pictures.” He’s critical of Marvel for, as he describes it, making the same movie over and over again, but now he’s expanding that to include other projects. Coppola feels recent movies like No Time to Die and Dune are equally interchangeable, saying…

While Francis Ford Coppola is very complimentary of the filmmakers behind Dune and No Time to Die, despite not knowing Cary Fukunaga’s name, he feels that the movies they are making are not up to the talent and artistry of the people, that the films are essentially still “Marvel pictures” by his definition.

Certainly, nobody is going to confuse a scene from Dune for a scene from No Time to Die really. If your broad definition is that movies with big expensive action sequences are essentially all the same, then yeah, I guess they both qualify as that. 

To be fair, Francis Ford Coppola is a guy who has rarely been happy with the state of Hollywood. Back in the ‘60 he didn’t like “studio pictures” anymore than he likes “Marvel pictures” today, which is why, with some financial backing from his friend George Lucas, he founded American Zoetrope in 1969. The idea was to be able to produce movies from outside the studio system. 

Francis Ford Coppola has been largely out of Hollywood since about 2013, though he’s still trying to get his passion project Megalopolis made, and if it happens we could see him in the director’s chair again. 

There’s certainly no argument that when Hollywood finds something that works, they will try to reproduce those results. It happens with actors, it happens with genres. When a movie like Hunger Games is a success we see every YA dystopian book get its rights snatched up in an attempt to make another successful franchise. Certainly Coppola isn’t wrong that there is some degree of similarity between Marvel movies.

But whether movies like No Time to Die or Dune should be painted with the same brush is perhaps another matter. And even if they are similar, it’s yet another question whether that makes them lesser movies in any real way. This is a debate that won’t be ending anytime soon. 

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Over the past decade of filmmaking, the comic book genre has become the most popular in the film world. And while moviegoers clamor to see every new installment in the MCU or DCEU, filmmakers like Martin Scorsese famously criticized the genre as a whole. Now Aquaman 2’s Jason Momoa has defended superhero movies, as he gears up to film his second solo flick.

Jason Momoa is super experienced with genre work, becoming a household name thanks to Game of Thrones before being cast as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe. Given his tenure playing a larger than life character, Momoa is uniquely experienced to speak about the superhero genre. Momoa recently addressed criticism at superhero movies, saying:

Talk about a mature attitude. Because rather than saying movies like Aquaman are perfect, Jason Momoa says they make people happy and are ultimately allegorical tales. And when you add in how many people are employed by comic book blockbusters, the genre is an even more important aspect of the overall film industry.

Jason Momoa’s comments to The New York Times offer a refreshing counterpoint to the criticism lobbed at the superhero genre as a whole. Martin Scorsese famously compared the MCU to theme parks, while Francis Ford Coppolla was quoted referring to Marvel movies as “despicable.” A ton of discourse has risen online as a result, and Momoa offered a much more positive outlook.

DC fans can re-watch Jason Momoa’s time in the DCEU on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

The superhero genre is known for its massive budgets, with the first Aquaman movie reportedly costing around $200 million. A chunk of that comes with the bells and whistles that are required to make comic book characters come to life on the big screen. This includes special effects, makeup, costuming, and extensive CGI.

As Jason Momoa also references, he’s able to address environmental issues while working on the Aquaman movies. This is a cause close to his heart IRL, with Momoa often using his platform to encourage fans to live a greener lifestyle. So on top of being fun movies that provide escapism, the genre can also have a deeper message.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently set to arrive in theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Tom Cruise is no stranger to putting his body on the line for the sake of the movie he's in. Cruise loves doing his own stunts, having no problem flying in fighter jets for Top Gun: Maverick or driving a motorcycle off of a ramp for Mission Impossible 7. Most impressive, however, might be Tom Cruise having to eat a ridiculous amount of chocolate cake while shooting The Outsiders.

Tom Cruise recently shared a story about Paul Newman showing him the ropes and giving him some sage advice about the weather in Chicago. Cruise then remarked on a funny story about working with Francis Ford Coppola on The Outsiders, during which he had to eat chocolate cake for three days, saying:

Tom Cruise had confidence in his ability to eat chocolate cake and stay true to the character, thinking, “How bad could it be?” Cruise thought since he liked chocolate cake, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to eat it for the scene in question, but he didn’t expect to have to eat it for three whole days. This was an important and hilarious lesson for the actor to learn. During the same interview on The Graham Norton Show, the actor went on to explain that he became sick from having so much cake:

It must have been something to watch Tom Cruise day after day forcing himself to take another bite of chocolate cake, probably as thrilling as watching him perform the insane stunts he does today. Cruise is known for his frantic running in his films and his dedication to making his movies seem as authentic as possible. It’s hilarious to think that eating chocolate cake is one of the hardest things he's ever had to endure whiile making movies.

Mission: Impossible 7 has been delayed to May 2022, and production is still underway for it and Mission: Impossible 8. But Tom Cruise is undoubtedly up to whatever obstacles he faces on screen and in production, and fans are waiting patiently to see what he does in the next installments of his iconic, action franchise.

In May 1977, George Lucas' life changed forever. Prior to that month he was a director with two feature films under his belt – 1971's THX 1138 and 1973's American Graffiti – but the success of Star Wars was so incredibly massive that it basically became the sun in the universe of Lucas' future work: everything revolved around it. He worked on other projects, such as the Indiana Jones series and Willow, but between 1977 and the day he retired he never directed a movie that wasn't Star Wars related.

Most fans probably don't see an issue with this, as Star Wars is arguably George Lucas' greatest creation and it has brought happiness into the lives of a lot of people – but even recognizing that last part of the equation, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola feels a certain sadness that the franchise very much took over the filmmaker's career.

In the late 1960s, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola became very close, the two men meeting on the set of 1968's Finian's Rainbow and then one year later founding the studio American Zoetrope together. Coppola served as a producer on Lucas' first two directorial efforts, getting a first hand look at what the filmmaker could do while operating on a movie set, and so his feelings about his former protege's missed potential carry some significant weight. The Godfather director was asked for his feelings on Star Wars during a recent interview with Vulture, and he wasn't shy about expressing a mixed opinion:

It's truly the ultimate version of the filmmaker's conundrum in Hollywood. While it's the instinct of any artist is to flex their creativity, finding real success in the movie industry means that a lot of people want you to start doing the same thing over and over again. Obviously George Lucas wasn't forced into the priorities he demonstrated, and clearly it led to him gaining tremendous wealth and a great deal of influence, so it's hard to argue against his choices working within the system and expanding on his most successful idea (plus he spent most of the 1980s working as a producer and supporting the visions of filmmakers like Jim Henson, Ron Howard, Paul Schrader, and Akira Kurosawa).

At the same time, it's not a challenge to understand Francis Ford Coppola's perspective and wonder what Lucas' career would have been like had he, for example, taken a more hands-off approach on The Empire Strikes Back and The Return Of The Jedi. With his mind given some distance from Star Wars, could he have directed an epic western? An intimate romantic comedy? A period drama? We'll never know.

It should additionally be noted that the opinions expressed by Francis Ford Coppola in the aforementioned interview apparently don't exactly differ extremely with what the director has said to George Lucas personally. Coppola was asked if he ever told Lucas directly about his thoughts regarding the filmmaker making smaller projects, and he explained,

While George Lucas has been retired in the years since the sale of Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company, Francis Ford Coppola has been active recently doing some rejuvenating work on his past features. Last year he edited a new version of Apocalypse Now that has been dubbed The Final Cut, and this month will see the new assembly of The Godfather: Part III, which is being called Mario Puzo's The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. The movie is now available to rent and purchase from digital retailers.

Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now is unquestionably one of the most iconic war films of all time, and it wastes no time at all hitting audiences with some breathtaking sequences. The start of the film features not only a stunning and horrific shot of a plane coating a forest in napalm, but also a devastating sequence featuring Martin Sheen's Captain Benjamin L. Willard alone in a hotel room being emotionally crushed by his experiences in Vietnam.

It's a jaw-droppingly intense scene that is made only more powerful by the presence of Sheen's actual blood, the actor cutting himself badly on a piece of glass mid-shot. It's a famed Hollywood moment from the famously chaotic production, but what you may not know about it is that its presence in the final cut can be attributed to Sheen begging his director to keep the cameras rolling.

In celebration of Martin Sheen celebrating his 80th birthday last week, The Hollywood Reporter dug up an old interview from the early 1990s in which the Apocalypse Now star talked about his experience making the war movie, and how he had to essentially fight to keep bleeding on screen:

For those who don't recall the details of the sequence, Martin Sheen managed to slice up his right hand as a result of choosing to punch and shatter a mirror . If you watch closely during the scene you notice that there is a very quick cut immediately following the moment (perhaps to disguise the on-set conversation between Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola) and then Willard is shown somersaulting over the bed, leaving a red trail behind him on the sheets, before examining his bloody fist while sitting on the floor.

If one doesn't know the behind-the-scenes story, one might watch Apocalypse Now and think that all of the blood is fake and just a choice made by the filmmakers, but knowing the truth makes it all the more intense and incredible.

For those of you who haven't seen Apocalypse Now yet, the especially good news for you is that this article features absolutely no spoilers, and it hopefully has increased your curiosity in watching the movie. And if you do want to check it out – either for the first time or the millionth – the good news is that the war epic is widely available. The film is presently available to stream for HBO subscribers (including HBO Max, HBO Go, and the Hulu add-on), can be rented or purchased digitally, and can be found physically on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD.

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Over the past decade of filmmaking, the superhero genre has become a pop culture sensation. Comic book adaptations have been able to make tons of money at the box office, and plenty of studios have gotten in on the action with their own shared universe. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is partly due to this, as serialized storytelling and crossovers have become commonplace. Superhero flicks have recently come under attack by filmmaking greats like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, and now Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed these comments.

Despite how popular the MCU and other blockbusters are, legendary directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have made their disapproval of the genre known. The latter director went so far as to call comic book movies "despicable", with the generations of fans taking umbrage with the dismissal. Now Benedict Cumberbatch has addressed the directors' concerns, saying:

Stephen Strange seems to understand the growing concern about superhero fatigue and the studios' power. But he still appreciates his job as a Marvel hero, and the other projects that gig might afford him.

Benedict Cumberbatch's comments to Jenny McCarthy on her SiriusXM show is a decidedly more neutral reaction than some of the other responses to Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola's viral comments about the genre. Rather than taking offense with the comments about comic book movies not being cinema, Cumberbatch is simply appreciative to have his various acting opportunities. Big releases like Doctor Strange make his smaller projects more enjoyable, and vice versa. The 43 year-old actor works in a variety of mediums, leading a TV show with Sherlock and regularly performing in live theater.

Related: Marvel’s Jon Favreau Responds To Scorsese And Coppola Criticism Of The Superhero Genre

Later in his comments, Benedict Cumberbatch also mentioned not wanting one studio or franchise to have monopoly over the film world. This will make way for new filmmakers, and movies that are artistic, challenging, and are perhaps not going to be a hit at the box office. Recent mergers have made the entertainment world feel smaller, as studios and their assets have combined. Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't seem to think that any company has a monopoly yet, but he seemingly understands those concerns.

Benedict Cumberbatch will jump back into the MCU with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Fans are eager to see the good doctor get a second solo movie, especially joined by the likes of Elizabeth Banks' Scarlet Witch. But it'll be a few years before that highly anticipated blockbuster arrives in theaters. In the meantime, you can read up on Stephen Strange's adventures on the page here.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 7th, 2021, and Benedict Cumberbatch can be seen in 1917 on December 25th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

We're in the middle of a relative dead zone when it comes to the release of superhero movies, but that doesn't mean anybody has stopped talking about them. If anything, the subject of superhero films as a genre has never been more in the headlines. Luminary directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have spoken out against the films in their entirety, and Disney CEO Bob Iger has now responded to those critics. And he's got some words.

Martin Scorsese had previously refereed to Marvel's movies as the cinematic equivalent of a theme park, which feels like it's taking a shot at Disney twice, but when Bob Iger was asked about the comments of Scorsese and Coppola by the Wall Street Journal, Iger said he holds the two directors in the highest regard, though he does take issue with the comments. He also felt Coppola's words especially were a little harsh. According to iger...

Martin Scorsese started the conversation by claiming that Marvel movies were not cinema, that they lacked "the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being." Scorsese was at least vaguely diplomatic in that he gave the films credit for being well made and believing the actors were doing the best they could "under the circumstances."

Francis Ford Coppola was far less forgiving. He said that the purpose of cinema is to learn something, and that there's nothing to be learned from Marvel's movies. He then used the word "despicable."

Bob Iger clearly understands the reputation that Disney has. He knows there's a feeling that the company focuses more on the commercial aspects of film that the creative. However, Iger would ultimately argue that there are some very creative people involved in the MCU. A number of clearly skilled filmmakers have become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years, and Iger doesn't think it's appropriate to call any of their work despicable.

If the major criticism here is that Marvel movies are something that's meant purely for the sake of entertaining the largest number of people, it seems Bon Iger is more than happy to accept that criticism. He believes that the audience's perspective is one that should be listened to and when they cast their vote by attending a Marvel movie, that clearly means something. The CEO also points out that, from a business perspective, the MCU is valuable to the entire industry, including to people like Scorsese and Coppola.

At the end of the day, the movie business is a business. While movies make millions or billions of dollars, theaters only see a small portion of that, which means they're usually not swimming in cash. A theater needs to put movies on the screens that people will pay to see. While the works of a director like Martin Scorsese might be critically lauded, those films rarely become box office smashes. Bob Iger thinks theaters can afford to show smaller movies more because of the profit they make from those big blockbuster movies.

Overall, Bob Iger's comments are fairly tame. He defends his studio but is fairly referential when it comes to the accomplished and respected directors who made these initial comments. However, at the end of his statement, Bob Iger lets fly a little bit. He thinks the comments made were quite disrespectful to the people who put their hard work into these movies and he decides to just go ahead and say that.

At the end of the day, making a movie is hard work and it's just as difficult, time consuming, and creatively exhausting, to make Black Panther as it is to make The Irishman, at least that's how Bob Iger feels about it.

Clearly, this argument doesn't look to be dying down anytime soon. We'll have to wait and see if anybody else decides to respond to Bob Iger's defense of Marvel. The popularity of Marvel's films is certainly part of a generational shift in film. What's popular with a new generation is frequently criticized by the older one. There are going to be people with strong feelings on either side. As Bob Iger said, the audience goes to see Marvel movies in the millions, which means there are probably a lot of people willing to defend the cinematic quality of those films. And Marvel doesn't look to be slowing down. There will be plenty more opportunity for people to criticize the franchise as the box office dollars keep rolling in.

It seems like the moment legendary directors Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola started to speak up about their alleged disapproval of the superhero genre of films, there was almost instantaneously a bunch of responses that were ready to counter those feelings. And yet, when it came time for director Jon Favreau to throw his hat in the ring, he did something pretty amazing: he accepted them as par for the course.

During an interview to promote The Mandalorian for Disney+, Favreau expressed these thoughts on the opinions of Scorsese and Coppola:

In a refreshing turn of events, Jon Favreau has taken the supposed displeasure of a genre he’s helped craft into its current fighting form, and honored those comments as merely the opinions of the people that inspired him in the first place. It’s an amazingly classy move, because instead of treating these thoughts as controversial, Favreau values the place that such opinions have in a proper discourse over cinema.

This isn’t to say the disappointment that fellow comic director James Gunn has felt about Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola’s remarks is invalid. Rather, Favreau’s view on those same opinions applies to Gunn’s thoughts as well. Everyone in this conversation has valid thoughts, and while they vary, they all have a position that various stripes of moviegoers can decide to agree with on their own terms.

In his interview with CNBC, Jon Favreau took the comments that have been seen as attacks on comic book movies like Avengers: Endgame, or even Favreau’s own work on Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and turned them into simple commentary rather than the invective they could be interpreted as. Even in the face of Francis Ford Coppola ostensibly calling Marvel and DC films “despicable”, as well as his own battles with the MCU brass, the man honors how he drew inspiration from their great works, and just goes on with his work.

Favreau’s work on the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe's Phase 1 could be seen as something on par with Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola’s efforts as young filmmakers that redefined the cinematic landscape of the day. And surely, there were those who thought that the men behind Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now were totally out of their heads with the stories they were telling at that time.

But that certainly didn’t stop either of them from moving forward, and it’s sure as hell not going to stop Jon Favreau for bringing his blockbuster style talents to new and exciting stories in gigantic universes built on pre-existing IP.

You can catch Jon Favreau in both Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, once again playing the role of Happy Hogan, on Digital HD, 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. Also, if you’re looking forward to The Mandalorian, you’ll be able to see what the fuss is all about when it debuts on Disney+ when the platform opens its doors on November 12.

As you’ve probably heard, there’s a bit of a kerfluffle between the old guard of filmmaking and those who are in the business to produce comic book movies. With Martin Scorsese allegedly writing them off as “theme park attractions” and Francis Ford Coppola decrying the genre as “despicable,” it seems like these two titans of theatrical releases have turned their guns on the likes of Marvel and DC.

However, there’s some more depth to this story, as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse co-director Peter Ramsey dropped into Twitter to share that not only did Coppola enjoy that particular comic film, he had the following praise to offer:

Admittedly, the supposed war between Scorsese and Coppola versus the comic book movie world seems to be a bit misinterpreted. This especially seems to be true when you see more pieces to the puzzle, such as these remarks come into focus.

Here now is piece of information from Peter Ramsey’s Twitter that has brought Francis Ford Coppola’s thoughts on comic films into a better perspective. As a film that takes such an artistic and thematically different approach to comic book action as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse did, you could imagine that two of the “Film Brats” of the 1970s would be able to appreciate the artistry that’s on display in the Academy Award winning journey of Miles Morales and the Spider-Fam.

Quite frankly, this kind of lumps The Godfather director’s school of thought into a similar lane as Martin Scorsese’s remarks, as his thoughts have been refocused in a more recent interview. Scorsese reframed his comments in the mindset that comic book movies are different from the cinematic experience you’d take from a film like The Irishman. So rather than saying something like Avengers: Endgame isn’t a cinematic experience that doesn’t belong in the theaters, he’s really saying that both of those examples are totally different experiences.

Though Scorsese did also say that comic book movies are invading the film marketplace, but even in that respect, he does have a point that could be discussed. Ultimately, it feels like the legendary directors have some bold thoughts on the marketshare being split between the fantastical and the more grounded.

But at least in Francis Ford Coppola’s corner, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a comic book movie that he can get behind. So if you’re going to approach any of the legendary film directors mentioned above, or any other directors you happen to meet in your daily travels, make sure to leave some room for explanation as to whether or not outliers such as this animated masterpiece count as “theme park films.”

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is currently available on Netflix, which is where you’ll most likely catch The Irishman after its November 27 streaming debut.

If you've been following the film news cycle in recent weeks, you'd know that a few legendary directors have been up in arms over superhero movies. This feud kicked back up with Martin Scorsese when he likened superhero movies more to theme parks than art. Now, following Scorsese doubling down on his remarks, acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola has now jumped to his defense and called Marvel movies despicable.

Those are some rough words to hurl around about the superhero movie genre, and while Scorsese and Coppola's arguments have their merits, there are other things their strong takes overlook. Here's what Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and other nay-saying directors in Hollywood get wrong about superhero movies.

Superhero Movies Absolutely Convey Emotion

A large part of both men's statements on superhero movies is that they lack emotion and don't have anything within them that features, as Scorsese put it, "Human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being." The implication, though not explicitly stated, essentially means that superhero movies are mindless fun with not a lot to chew on afterwards.

This one doesn't take long to disprove, as most people know that superhero movies can convey deep emotion. Whether it's Billy Batson confronting his biological mother who doesn't want to be in his life in Shazam!, or Tony creating the perfect life and then being forced to sacrifice it in Avengers: Endgame, there's plenty of emotion in superhero movies. Are they jam-packed with emotional moments? Absolutely not, but very few movies are.

With that said, it's not like Martin Scorsese would know about these emotional moments or meaningful arcs. He's stopped watching most new films for a few years now and admitted he had given up on superhero movies as well. Scorsese sounds somewhat jaded by the commercialism of modern cinema, so it tracks that he'd be against superhero movies.

There's More Art In Marvel's Process Than Coppola Gives Credit

Francis Ford Coppola has been critical of superhero movies for quite a while, but Martin Scorsese just gave him the excuse to get back on the soap box. Coppola said in 2017 The Godfather wouldn't have been made because it wasn't a superhero movie, and that studios are only concerned with how many movies they can make in a series. It's almost as if he forgot his own trilogy has two other movies.

Which makes it a bit baffling, because surely Francis Ford Coppola can attest to the art of adapting another pre-existing work into a movie. The difference between the two is Marvel is adapting more than the novels of Mario Puzo; it's working with the collective visions of decades of authors and crafting stories for characters that ultimately go on to be used by other directors in a massive collaboration that takes extensive planning. Whether Coppola recognizes it or not is moot, the MCU and the process of creating it is art.

Is it art akin to what Francis Ford Coppola did with Apocalypse Now? The answer is it doesn't have to be, and no one said that it was. To flat out deny the merits of a genre simply because of its commercial viability isn't really fair, nor is judging a story that has the potential to continue on.

Filmmakers View Movies Differently Than The Masses

When Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese said they dislike superhero movies, their reasoning is rooted mainly in what they represent for the concept of cinema. That being the presumed mindlessness of superhero movies and the fact that Hollywood's love of them may prevent more inventive non-superhero movies from reaching a general audience. There could be more reasons, but this is just based off their published thoughts.

Most people watching superhero movies right now aren't award-winning directors with decades of experience in the field. We don't enjoy movies the same way they do, and we certainly don't have the experience they do that shapes our opinion of superhero movies. Many of us see these movies and know exactly what we're getting into. It's about escapism, watching an action-packed adventure unfold and having a good time at the movies.

I think the major mistake many are making in regards to these comments is not recognizing who they come from, and thinking their disagreeing is a reflection on themselves. Marvel fans (and their directors) shouldn't be offended by Scorsese's or Coppola's comments. As mentioned earlier, they're both people who don't represent the usual moviegoer, and admittedly, don't watch super hero movies. All the filmmaking experience in the world makes an argument pretty thin when you're not even watching the thing you hate.

Superhero Movies Aren't Hindering Innovative Movies

Going back to Francis Ford Coppola's point that studios only green light superhero projects and that films like The Godfather wouldn't get made today, it's just simply not true. While Warner Bros. could be turning down some scripts because it has DC projects in development, Marvel is only green-lighting stuff within its superhero brand.

On top of that, the superhero genre is elevating the profile of several Hollywood directors who are making increasingly daring projects outside the genre. Thor: Ragnarok elevated Taika Waititi to a household name, and allowed a film like Jojo Rabbit to get made. There's no way in hell a movie that features a happy-go-lucky Hitler gets that kind of attention or funding without Waititi's contributions to the MCU.

Beyond that, we live in an era where filmmaking is about as accessible as its ever been. Entire movies can be shot on a cell phone, and Video On Demand and streaming services have ensured there are other options to get a movie out there that don't necessarily mean wooing a major studio for a theatrical release. The ability to make these bold and innovative movies is all there, but it's up to the public to seek them out and prioritize them, and maybe even for these legendary directors to promote them?

Sebastian Stan Defends Marvel Movies After Scorsese And Coppola Comments

We've heard the opinions of several directors and actors on superhero movies as of late, but what do audiences think? Share your thoughts in the comments below and continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in movies and television.

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Over the past few years, superhero movies have become the most profitable genre in the business. Plenty of studios have their own shared universes, after the MCU revolutionized serialized storytelling. But recently, acclaimed filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have shared their negative feelings toward these blockbusters. And Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan is the latest to defend the impact of the MCU.

Sebastian Stan has played Bucky Barnes in a whopping five movies in the MCU, not counting cameos in Ant-Man and Black Panther. But he's also appeared in Oscar favorites like I, Tonya and The Martian. And following the recent comments dismissing the franchise and even calling it "despicable", Stan spoke to how important those blockbusters are to the fans. As he put it:

Bucky Barnes has a point. There are countless fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the massive franchise has been able to affect them emotionally. And if that's the requirement for great cinema, then Marvel Studios has done its job.

Sebastian Stan's comments at Fandemic Tour Houston (via Comic Book) are in direct response to the recent comments made by Francis Cord Coppola. The legendary Godfather filmmaker maintained that superhero movies don't affect audience. What's more, he thought that Martin Scorsese's previous comments were too kind, and that comic book movies were "despicable."

The Captain America actor first acknowledged that Francis Ford Coppola was a personal hero of his, before Sebastian Stan offered an argument against his feelings. The fact that he was speaking at a convention was evident that moviegoers have been affected by the genre, especially the 23 movies that have made up the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What's more, the comics have been read for decades before they were adapted for the big screen. The Winter Soldier has lead his own series alongside Black Widow, and his story in the MCU will continue on his upcoming Disney+ series.

Related: James Gunn Reacts To Francis Ford Coppola Calling Marvel Movies 'Despicable'

Francis Ford Coppola's recent "despicable" comments quickly went viral, with certain contributors to the genre coming to its defense. Coppola is widely considered one of the best filmmakers of all time, so his opinion carries weight. And they come shortly after Martin Scorsese's comments that comic book movies were "not cinema."

It looks like the conversation around superhero movies in the wider cinema world will only continue. Certain movies have been recognized by the film academy before, with Logan and Black Panther receiving Oscar nominations in major categories. And Marvel Studios is showing no signs of slowing down, with plans for Phase Three and Phase Four moving forward.

The next installment in the MCU will be Black Widow on May 1st, 2020. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

James Gunn has become a leading voice to defend Marvel movies, which is a wee bit ironic considering he was briefly fired from one, but never mind. The Guardians of the Galaxy director was saddened when Martin Scorsese said Marvel movies weren't cinema and theaters shouldn't be invaded by them. Now Francis Ford Coppola has jumped into the debate, not only agreeing with his fellow cinema icon Scorsese but adding the word "despicable":

That's what 80-year-old Francis Ford Coppola told reporters (via AFP) in France where he was receiving an award for his contributions to cinema.

From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, no one is arguing about Francis Ford Coppola's contributions to cinema. Same with Martin Scorsese, who just added a new movie to cinematic history with the highly lauded The Irishman.

In his response, James Gunn never mentions Francis Ford Coppola by name. He simply argues in favor of superhero movies as worthy of being judged individually. He also seems to argue there's a generation gap in play. Here's what he tweeted, referencing the "despicable" comment so fans knew to what he was referring:

He linked to an Instagram photo of Guardians of the Galaxy's Groot and Rocket, with this caption:

He ended his post with a heart emoji.

Not everyone loves superhero movies, and you don't even have to be Of A Certain Age to question them. Joker star Marc Maron felt the wrath of fans when he said superhero movies were for "grown male nerd childs." We even have a list going of directors who've spoken out against superhero movies, and now Francis Ford Coppola can join them.

I agree with the idea of Superhero as its own genre, like Drama or Comedy or Sci-Fi. There are some great sci-fi movies out there, and then there's crap. To judge them all by the overall genre isn't fair. Not all superhero movies do well -- just ask Dark Phoenix and Fantastic Four -- so you have to give the audience credit for judging each film on its own merits.

For his part, Francis Ford Coppola is still hard at work doing what he loves. He said Megalopolis, a film about a utopia, is his biggest and most ambitious project yet, which is why it's taking so long. Meanwhile, James Gunn is busy working for DC at the moment with The Suicide Squad, but he must know that "Marvel movies" has become shorthand for all superhero movies, including DC. After The Suicide Squad, Gunn will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

At this point, it's no secret that Black Panther has become a sensation among moviegoers. The film was a critical success when it debuted in February, and it has experienced one of the most impressive box office performances of all time. Now we've learned that the film also earned one other particularly exciting accolade, as The Godfather's Francis Ford Coppola apparently loved the scene in which T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) confronted Zuri (Forest Whitaker) about the death of N'Jobu (Sterling K. Brown). On the Black Panther home release commentary, director Ryan Coogler explained:

The DNA of The Godfather is all over Black Panther, so it seems logical that Ryan Coogler would want to show the film to Francis Ford Coppola before releasing the final cut. Coppola's favorite scene takes place when T'Challa learns of the true origins of Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) as Wakandan royalty. He confronts Zuri about T'Chaka's mistakes in Oakland decades earlier when he murdered Killmonger's father in order to save Zuri after confronting his brother about his treachery. Given The Godfather franchise's similar use of past sins as storytelling devices, it makes quite a bit of sense to know that Coppola felt a notable connection to that scene and the way Coogler made that subplot play out -- to the point that Coppola wanted to see that scene again immediately after watching the film.

It's hard not to see why Francis Ford Coppola liked that scene so much. After all, one of the reasons audiences have flocked to Black Panther is for its nuanced take on politics and morality, and that scene specifically gets to the heart of the film's themes. The confrontation between T'Challa and Zuri is one of the scenes that provides an understandable rationale for Killmonger's point of view, which in turn helps flesh him out as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's best villains.

Francis Ford Coppola isn't the only person who is fond of this particular subplot, as it sounds like Forest Whitaker is interested in reprising his role as Zuri in a future Black Panther movie. Though the character is dead now, Whitaker seems to think that Black Panther 2 could include him in a sequence taking place on the ancestral plane, which would allow T'Challa to get closure for his mentor's untimely death.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Infinity War!

Of course, before we can see Marvel Studios flesh out this Wakandan political intrigue even further, we will need to see the current Phase Three storyline wrap up. Avengers: Infinity War ends with the death of T'Challa (among others) when Thanos (Josh Brolin) snaps his fingers an unleashes the power of the Infinity Stones, so the key objective right now is the resurrection of the Wakandan king. We can reasonably assume that T'Challa will be back because Black Panther 2 has already been discussed, but for now, it looks like he has joined Zuri in the afterlife.

Black Panther will be available on Digital HD from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment starting tomorrow, and the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film will be available later this month on May 15. You can also currently catch T'Challa in Avengers: Infinity War, so make sure to check out the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster in theaters and add to its behemoth box office total!

Even though he had nothing to do with the actual production of the movie, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens draws ever closer, George Lucas has been at the forefront of the minds of many people. We want to know if he’s seen the film, we want to know what he thought, we want to know if he’ll come to our holiday party. But it’s not just fans who are thinking about Lucas, contemporaries like Francis Ford Coppola are also reflecting on their peer, and the Godfather director has one big issue with the Star Wars universe, namely it’s impact on Lucas as an artist.

In a revealing talk with Screen Daily, the Apocalypse Now director talked about the future of filmmaking and how the next leaps and bounds can’t be made without experimentation, taking chances, and daring to fail. He then lamented that Lucas, once a boundary pusher, got caught up in the machine, saying:

After graduating from the University of Southern California, Lucas and Coppola founded American Zoetrope together (before he eventually started Lucasfilm) with the idea of working outside of the Hollywood system they viewed as oppressive. During the early stages of his career, Lucas was definitely more into making abstract, daring films, experimenting with cinema verite, visual tone poems, and other artistic endeavors.

Though he started off in this realm, it didn’t take long for Lucas to fall into a more straightforward narrative realm. His first feature, THX-1138 is a dystopian science fiction film, but his next effort, 1973’s American Graffiti, was specifically written to appeal to more mainstream audiences—it was a challenge from Coppola. From there he never really looked back, and though Star Wars pushed what you could do with special effects, it definitely helped usher in the era of blockbuster filmmaking.

This is kind of the nature of the industry. Hollywood is prone to finding new, exciting filmmakers working independently and bringing them into the realm of big budgets and all the cinematic bells and whistles. Hell, it may even be more pronounced today than ever. It used to be that a filmmaker would have to make at least a couple of movies before being brought up to the cinematic equivalent of the major leagues, but now studios are hasty to hire any hot young director. Colin Trevorrow only had one indie feature under his belt, 2012’s Safety Not Guaranteed before being handed the reins on Jurassic World; and Gareth Edwards went from 2010’s Monsters, which had a budget of under $500,000 dollars, to Godzilla in 2014, a movie that cost $160 million.

Sometimes the results are positive. Ryan Coogler went from indie drama Fruitvale Station to the studio-backed Creed with fantastic results. On the other hand, sometimes they aren’t, as is the case of Josh Trank, who went from the low-budget sci-fi flick Chronicle the mega disaster Fantastic Four, which didn’t work out well for anyone.

Since he sold Lucasfilm for north of $4 billion, Coppola is right, George Lucas can do just about anything he damn well pleases at this point. Maybe we’ll see something totally off the wall and boundary pushing from the filmmaker again in the future.

There have been rumors for years that a Top Gun 2 has been in perpetual development. We know there have been strong story ideas. We know Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer are interested in making the movie if all the pieces come together. Now we’ve received confirmation that the script for the movie is making the rounds. Val Kilmer says he’s on board, but it’s the other people he says are involved that really got our attention.

UPDATE: Val Klimer has returned to social media to explain that Gene Hackman and Francis Coppola are examples of things people say "yes" to, but they are not involved in Gun 2. Damn.

FROM EARLIER: In a post to Facebook, Kilmer says he didn’t even bother to read the script before accepting it, because it’s Top Gun and it sounds like he’s just as excited as fans are that he’ll be able to get into the cockpit again. However, Kilmer also says there are two other reasons that he instantly said yes to the part. One is that Gene Hackman will be one of his co-stars, the other is that Francis Ford Coppola will be directing in place of the late Tony Scott.

These additional names have us scratching our heads more than a little here. Hackman hasn’t filmed a movie since 2004. At 85 years old, he’s long past the age where he’s going to play the grizzled veteran fighter pilot character that he would have been fantastic as. We assumed that sort of role would be played by Cruise this time around, anyway. Coppola has also previously stated that he’s pretty much done making big studio pictures, and this without any shadow of a doubt is going to qualify as a big-budget studio movie.

This honestly feel more like Val Kilmer is trolling his fans than actually releasing news, but at the same time, we can’t figure why he would be doing that. If he’s saying this, it must be true, right? Right? We want to believe all this. We want like hell to believe all this. We’re having real trouble.

Tom Cruise has stated as recently as this past summer that he’s interested in making a sequel to the 80’s action movie and an idea has been making the rounds that involves the conflict between manned fighter jets and unmanned drone combat. If we were putting money down, we’d bet that Top Gun 2 will likely happen, and sooner rather than later, but this has just come out of left field.

If this is all confirmed we’ll be as excited as anybody. Seeing Gene Hackman again on screen would be a joy and we can’t even imagine what fighter jet choreography directed by Francis Ford Coppola would look like, but we can’t wait to find out.

Francis Ford Coppola is one of the greatest film directors to ever walk the earth. As superlative as that statement is, it’s not very controversial. Most would agree with it. However, one can also agree that Coppola’s style of movie making doesn’t exactly fit with a lot of what Hollywood is producing these days. This is why we don’t see him much anymore, he has no interest in making the big budget commercial successes that studios are looking for.

Speaking with Yahoo Movies about the Blu-Ray release of his Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Coppola indicated that making the sorts of movies Hollywood wants requires a lot of effort and he’s simply not interested in working so hard for those sorts of films. He said:

While Coppola hasn’t left the movie game entirely, we haven’t seen much of him in several years. While a number of his films, like Apocalypse Now and The Godfather have become cinematic classics, there’s very little in his background that screams commercial. Dracula, or 1997’s The Rainmaker, based on a John Grisham novel, which in the 90’s were about as prevalent as Marvel superhero movies are today, may be his most commercial works. It may not be a coincidence then that it was following Rainmaker that we began to see less of Coppola as a director.

Certainly, if Coppola is looking to "experiment" then modern Hollywood is not going to be a particularly forgiving place. Between the superhero movies, sequels, and the film series based on novels about teenage dystopian futures, there’s little experimenting going on. Everything is based on some previously established property, which gives the studios the confidence that it’s a thing people will pay money to see in the theater. The smaller movies are out there, and Coppola has continued to make them, but as the commercial industry begins to rely more and more on the same blockbuster formula, there’s less money available for films that aren’t a sure thing.

As much as we may be fans of many of those commercially successful films, it’s more than a little sad to see a great creator, who inspired so many of today’s younger filmmakers, not wanting to still be involved. Hopefully he hasn’t given up entirely and we’ll still see a few of his films down the line.

Has it been 23 years already? Well, no, but it has been more than a decade, but fans of the low-budget horror franchise Jeepers Creepers have something to celebrate today, as it as been announced that the saga will get a concluding chapter. Yes, that means exactly what you think it means, Jeepers Creepers 3 is happening.

According to Variety, Myriad Pictures announced that they will finance the long-in-the-works Jeepers Creepers 3, as well as tackle the international sales for the film. Francis Ford Coppola, and his American Zoetrope studios, which backed the first two installments in the hit horror franchise, will be back in play, as will a number of returning players who have had a hand in guiding the films.

Victor Salva, who both wrote and directed the 2001 original, as well as the 2003 follow up, not to mention other films like Powder, will be back in the same capacity for Jeepers Creepers 3. Brandon Smith, who played Sergeant Davis Tubbs in the first film, will show up in the same part, while it has also been confirmed that Jonathan Breck is set to reprise his role as the villainous Creeper. Salva promises fans a "terrifying new chapter."

For those of you who unfamiliar with these films, they revolve around a mysterious, legendary creature, the Creeper, who resides in the Midwest and emerges in the spring every 23 years to hunt for 23 days, harvesting human organs, which it then adds to itself. This time around, the skeptical Sergeant Tubbs joins a task force that aims to take out this ancient evil once and for all. The Creeper, however, fights back, protecting himself and his secret origins, in what is sure to be a gore-soaked clash.

It’s the origins part that has fans the most interested. Not only do Salva and company plan to deliver another horrifying chapter, they want to get into the history of the ancient monster. They plan to examine where it came from, why it does what it does, and other mysteries inherent in the creature. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s all kinds of dark and messed up, which only sweetens the deal.

While not huge hits, the two Jeepers Creepers movies were made for relatively little capital and earned a combined $120 million worldwide, making them rather profitable overall. Never huge critical darlings, they have their fans, and while it’s been talked about for a while, it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken more than a decade for this to happen. Fans want it, and it will likely make money; seems like a win-win.

As of now, it’s starting to look like the long gestating Jeepers Creepers 3 could begin filming as early as next year in Vancouver, British Columbia, and probably hit sometime later that year or in early 2017.

Al Pacino has starred in an impressive number of brilliant, classic films, from Dog Day Afternoon to Serpico to Heat, but arguably the greatest role of his career was Michael Corleone in the Godfather films. But believe it or not, when he was first offered the job, the Oscar winning actor wanted no part of it.

This fascinating behind-the-scenes story was told by Pacino in a recent interview with Loaded Magazine, the actor explaining not only that he never really wanted to be in The Godfather, but that he thought director Francis Ford Coppola was crazy for even considering the idea that he was the right choice. Admittedly, a big part of this was that nobody else at the studio actually wanted him to play the role either. Said Pacino,

Looking at Al Pacino's filmography pre-The Godfather, it's not hard to understand what the studio's hesitation was (it should be noted that Paramount actually made the film, not Warner Bros.). By 1972, Pacino was far from a well-known name, his only big screen credits being the heroin drama The Panic in Needle Park and the 1969 dramedy Me, Natalie. But it wasn't his feature film work that was what made Francis Ford Coppola convinced that he was the perfect man to bring Michael Corleone to life. Instead, it was some of Pacino's award-winning stage work that caught the legendary director's eye. Said the actor,

In retrospect, of course, Francis Ford Coppola was proven right, and the folks at Paramount were made to look quite short-sighted. To make matters even worse, though, Pacino wasn't the only major star of The Godfather who the studio didn't actually want to be in the movie. Apparently they weren't too hot on the idea of bringing Marlon Brando in to play Don Vito Corleone either.

Hearing this story, it sounds like Al Pacino's career could really use another director like Francis Ford Coppola. It's pretty well-known that he has fallen into a bit of a slump in recent years, but perhaps all he needs is a filmmaker who sees him as being perfect for a role that nobody else can really see him in. Scorsese? Tarantino? I'm sure he's waiting for your call.

Francis Ford Coppola has already done a pretty good job capturing the life of an Italian-American family in the mid-20th century, having directed one of the greatest trilogies in cinematic history. But now, 23 years after the release of The Godfather Part III, he's ready to explore the subject once again - only this time it won't be a gangster story.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Apocalypse Now director is now set to make a new untitled film that "will chronicle an Italian-American family and span from the 1930s to the 1960s." Coppola will be writing the script for the movie, just as he has for all of his credited directorial efforts since 1997's legal drama The Rainmaker. The trade says that the plot is a coming-of-age story about two teenagers, a boy and a girl. Strangely, production offices for the film have been set up on the Paramount lot, but at this time there haven't been any talks regarding the studio's involvement in the movie. A casting director has been hired, but there's no mention regarding when Coppola is planning to have cameras start rolling.

Coppola is now 74 years old but has continued making films regularly over the last decade - though their quality has been questionable. He last directed the Edgar Allan Poe-themed horror thriller Twixt starring Val Kilmer, however, the film didn't get much of a theatrical release or a critical response.

Between Apocalypse Now and The Godfather trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola has cemented his reputation as one of America's most influential filmmakers. Still, it's worth remembering that while these films are widely well regarded as classics now, Apocalypse Now was a major gamble that repeatedly looked like it wouldn't pay off.

Decades later, Coppola is still defined by his gambles. Just last year he premiered his the horror-thriller Twixt with the wildly unconventional plan of going on tour with a series of event screenings where he would cut the thriller on the fly, based on audience response. Looking back on a career that has already spanned more than fifty years, he talked about his risk taking with EW, and gave a clue to what he's working on next, curiously confessing:

Typically, movies that leap through decades feel rushed and jumbled, but when it comes to Coppola, we're more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. And if he's calling this one "big" and "ambitious," be prepared to be blown away. Just consider Apocalypse Now.

Inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, Coppola and co-writer John Millius shaped a complicated portrait of the horrors of the Vietnam War. In making the film, Coppola faced a plethora of obstacles, fighting for funding, wrangling talent willing to shoot on location in the jungles of the Philippines for months on end, replacing his lead after shooting had begun, and then keeping his new leading man (Martin Sheen) sane as production problems mounted. Reports of all these disruptions—and many more—hurt the film's reputation before it ever even screened.

To stem the wave of bad press, Coppola exhibited a work in progress cut at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where—even its rough form—it was met with rave reviews. Today, it is considered a masterpiece that helped usher in the New Hollywood era, and it still shapes our understanding of American history. So, when he calls a movie "big," we believe it.

In addition to being the year that The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, The Hobbit and Skyfall come out, 2012 has some very special anniversaries. As we previously reported, Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912, is celebrating its centennial, but one of the company's greatest films has a big birthday this year. The Godfather, released in 1972, is now 40 years old and that isn't going unnoticed.

Paramount has announced that on March 1st - a.k.a. this Thursday - 55 Cinemark XD auditoriums around the country will be showing Francis Ford Coppola’s restored version of The Godfather. According to the press release, the film has been "meticulously restored using 5.1 digital surround sound and re-mastered using state-of-the-art technology." Continuing the celebration, Cinemark theaters will also be showing The Godfather Part II on XD screens, though that won't come until April 19th.

Said Cinemark VP of Marketing and Communication James Meredith, ""There is no greater iconic film than The Godfather. It has set the standard for story-telling, launched a generation of great actors, and provided movie-goers an unparalleled experience." The year it was released The Godfather won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Since its release the film has made nearly $250 million at the global box office and is considered by most to be one of the greatest films of all time.

Really, the only shame here is that it's not a longer engagement, as most people aren't going to have time to go see a movie on a Thursday night. What only makes matters worse is that The Godfather was originally released on March 24, 1972 and this year March 24 falls on a Saturday. I suppose they just want to keep as many theaters open for The Hunger Games as possible.

Once the most powerful force in cinema, now 72-year-old Francis Ford Coppola hasn’t made a significant movie since the early 90s, and even that’s being generous. He keeps making films, but no one’s seeing them much less talking about them. His latest, however, may be his most ambitious. It’s called TWIXT and when he took the trailer you’re about to see to the San Diego Comic Con last week it was met with a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and excitement over the potential of what could be a huge step forward in the way movies are presented. Or maybe not.

Coppola plans to present TWIXT as a live performance, where he’ll edit the movie while people watch, changing what you’ll see depending on how each audience is responding to it. In theory, that means you’ll never see the same movie twice. In practice… well who the heck knows how this will play out. The new TWIXT trailer itself offers very few clues. Check it out:

It’s hard to tell what this movie is. The trailer’s all over the map, a mix of strange gothic fantasy sequences and modern day stuff in which Val Kilmer plays a writer wandering around a small, creepy town. When the TWIXT trailer was shown at Comic Con, Coppola used his live-mixing techniques on it, so odds are what they saw there might have been entirely different. You can read our full report of that showing here.

TWIXT debuts in just a few weeks at the Toronto Film Festival. We’ll be there to let you know what happens when Coppola comes to town.

Remember First Wave? The Canadian/American science fiction show aired from 1998 to 2001 on the Sci Fi Channel, back in the days when that network actually aired science fiction shows as opposed to wrestling and cooking programs. Exec produced by none other than Francis Ford Coppola, the show involved aliens, clones, the Illuminati, the prophecies of Nostradamus, and former porn star Traci Lords. She wasn't actually a plot point, mind you, just a cast member. Although I'm pretty sure she was foretold by Nostradamus.

The show ran for three seasons on Sci Fi before falling prey to low ratings and being canceled. I never saw a single episode, and honestly didn't know anyone who did. But if I've learned one thing in this business, it's that every canceled show has a die-hard following somewhere, especially when it's a genre show like First Wave. So, for all you First Wave-rs out there who have been living amongst us in secret, it looks like you're getting a DVD release of your favorite show this May 17th, courtesy of Alliance Films Media.

Amazon Canada has added a pre-order listing for First Wave: Season 1 right here. It's listing for $25.99 Canadian, and there's no word yet on bonus features. You can take a look at the snazzy cover art below.

We’ve seen The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette and now Sofia Coppola is gearing up for the release of her fourth feature film, Somewhere, in which she returns to the far more natural and minimalistic style of filmmaking that earned her praise for her first two films.

Stephen Dorff stars as Johnny Marco, a big time actor in between gigs with nothing else to do, but hang out with a pair of exotic dancers, drink, smoke and drive his Ferrari. Johnny is forced to adjust and rearrange his priorities when his ex-wife splits, leaving him with their young daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning).

Somewhere is a film that relies almost entirely on its main character and it seems as though that’s exactly what Coppola intended it to be. As much time as Coppola spent with Dorff developing the character, she also worked closely with her cinematographer, Harris Savides, who was challenged with the task of shooting long yet visually stimulating shots with minimal or no lighting. Somewhere isn’t just any old film that Coppola threw together; it’s something that was meticulously planned and thoughtfully constructed all while maintaining a loose environment in which her cast and crew could expand on her image.

See what Coppola had to say about her experience working in the famous Chateau Marmont, how much of the film is based on her relationship with her father, Francis Ford Coppola and much more in the interview below.

There’s one particular scene with the two blonde dancers and Johnny falls asleep while they’re performing and you just stretch that moment out. What kind of effect were you going for with that?

Sofia Coppola: I was trying to start the movie in his state of mind and his point of view. It should be exciting to have these twins in your room, performing, but it's not the first time; they've probably come every week for months and he's on painkillers. I didn't want it to feel exciting; he's kind of stuck and just really feel like you’re alone with someone in their private moments.

Where did you get the idea for those synchronized strippers?

I don't know [laughs], I just thought like he wouldn't have one pole dancer, he'd have twins and it still wouldn't be exciting. I just made it up, but I feel like you can call room service in a hotel and you can get anything.

Can you talk about the casting of Stephen Dorff?

I just think he's always been a really great actor and we haven't seen him in this kind of role and I just thought he was the right guy for it. I knew him in life and I just think he's very sweet and genuine and I thought it would bring a lot to the part because the character's not that likable so I thought you needed someone sweet.

Is it true that you listen to music when you're writing?

Yeah, I don’t think it’s that far out. I think it's helpful to get yourself in an atmosphere and mood away from the rest of the world. It seems natural to me.

What sort of stuff were you listening to when you wrote this?

What was I listening to? The Brian Ferry song that's in the end of the movie and Phoenix and Sebastien Tellier and instrumental stuff too because I think when it’s writing it's distracting to have too much going on.

Speaking of Phoenix, what’s it like to collaborate with your partner on film scores? Also, how has your perception changed of the band considering your relationship with the lead singer Thomas Mars?

Oh, I always liked their music for a long time and “Tomar” did a song for Virgin Suicides, my first film, and he had a song in Lost in Translation. So, yeah, I always liked their music and when I was trying to figure out the music, I knew it was something they could do because of Tomar, I have similar taste. He gets my sensibility. I thought it would be nice to work together. It was great; I just sent them clips and they would send me music.

Stephen mentioned you had a list of film for him to see. Can you tell us about those?

There was a short film, Paper Moon. In Paper Moon I love the relationship of father-daughter so I asked him to watch that just to kind of see that dynamic because it feels like a buddy movie. And there's a French movie, a Chantal Akerman movie that Harris Savides told me about which is a woman alone in her apartment. It seems like it should be boring because it's these very long takes of her washing her dishes and doing these mundane things, but it's really fascinating because the actress is so great. She's so natural, so it was important for me that when he's alone to really feel that he's not acting.

The classic films about actors and the acting world, did you think about those?

I didn't because I wasn't really thinking it was important that he's an actor, so I wasn't really thinking about that. I felt that I was more interested in the aspect of the father-daughter relationship or just him kind of having an existential crisis. It doesn’t really matter to me that he’s an actor, although I did think it was interesting with all our obsession with celebrity culture to see another side of that, but I didn't want it to be too much about the film industry and too inside. I wanted that to be more in the backdrop.

How do you prepare for a film like this where the dialogue is so sparse and so much is told through the camerawork? Is it very well planned in terms of your storyboard and shot list or do you kind of feel it out as you go along?

It’s clear to me when I write the script and have an idea in my mind of what I want it all to look like, but on the day it’s more intuitive working with the cameraman about how we’re actually going to do it.

Was it necessary for your father to see the finished product? Were you looking for some approval from him or for him to suggest anything?

No, I just showed it to him. I’m working with our family company, so just to include him. I showed him the movie when it was done and I was happy to show my parents like any kid, it’s nice to show your parents.

Did he give you any notes?

No. He just appreciated that I was doing my thing.

When you write these scenes with no dialogue, how do you structure them so that then, you can put in that improvisation?

I just describe it how I see it. There are scenes that are improvised like when they’re playing Guitar Hero and things, but then the other ones are written out. To me, even though there’s not dialogue, it’s clear to me what you’re trying to convey with those moments. The actors can express a lot with a look or a gesture.

Can you tell us about that scene with the masseuse?

That happened to a friend of mine where he was having a massage and the masseuse stripped down. It was just what you see that he takes his clothes off and then he gets dressed again.

Was the masseuse naked during that scene?

Yeah, he took his shorts off. Yeah, he was completely naked.

Was that hard to negotiate?

No, you can find actors up for it [laughs], but we shot it in a way that he could be comfortable.

How did you come to the decision of having the opening scene with Johnny driving around in circles repeatedly?

When I started the script, I thought about this character in a Ferrari and I imagine those guys with these car collections can’t drive them in L.A., so they have to go to some track out in the middle of nowhere, so I was just imagining that. Also, to have a visual metaphor so you know right away who the character is and what his state is and that he’s going in circles.

Did you ride in the Ferrari?

Yeah, I drove it around the track. I wish I kept that car.

When you first meet this character behind the wheel with the cast on, I immediately thought Shia LaBeouf.

Oh, I never thought about that.

Stephen told us you didn’t want to base his character on anyone.

Yeah, I didn’t think of him, but I had a dozen different people in mind when I was writing the character I put little things from different people in there, but it wasn’t based on one person; I wanted him to be his own guy based on folklore.

What was it like to work with the DP, Harris Savides? He tends to do a lot of very stylized work, but this film is very natural and intimate.

I loved working with him because he was really open to this way of approaching the movie of how simply we could tell the story and I didn’t want to be aware of the camera. I wanted to feel like you were alone with this guy, so it was important that the camera doesn’t move when we have these long takes. He was really into this more simple approach.

Is there a secret to the way that he lit the scene that created that intimacy?

There’s no lighting; it’s all natural daylight. He’s so talented and makes it look beautiful and is really up for working with a small amount of equipment and the available light.

What was your father’s reaction to seeing this film? Naturally, a lot of people are speculating about how it could be based on your relationship.

I don’t think that it’s naturally because everybody has parents so if anyone has a parent in a story you would think it’s them? It doesn’t make sense to me at all, but I think people look for any kind of connection. I haven’t talked to him about it. He just liked the movie. All I can say is that my dad’s not like Johnny Marco and my childhood wasn’t like that, but definitely I tried to put in personal memories just to make it real between things that characters could do. I remember him teaching me about craps in a casino and that’s something that was fun that kids don’t usually get to do. So that aspect of the kind of fun, bigger-than-life, father I tried to put in the story.

Did you think about other memories that other people shared with you about their father/daughter relationships?

Just because I just had my daughter, I was thinking about how that changes your perspective and I imagine a guy like that, in that lifestyle, what it would be like. I had just read the book The Descendants, which I’m excited about that movie and I really liked the father/daughters in that story. I was thinking about that in my own life just having become a parent.

Can you talk about Benicio Del Toro’s cameo? It’s such a surprise to see him.

Yeah, I wanted to have a little flavor of what that hotel is like and he’s someone that hangs out there. I didn’t want to have too many cameos and make it too Hollywood, but just to show a kind of surreal moment and I asked him if he would come do it and he was nice to do that for me.

In terms of what that hotel is really like with so much lore around it from Hedy Lamarr checking in and misspelling her name because she had just gotten it, to more recently, Britney Spears smearing her dinner all over her face.

Did she stay there?

She smeared her dinner over her face at the restaurant.

I don’t think I heard that story either.

Yeah, there’s so many. Do you have a favorite?

A friend of mine is working on a documentary of the history of the Chateau over the different eras, which I think will be interesting because there are so many stories.

So do you have a favorite kind of story from the Chateau? Was there any reason your picked 59 to be the room?

No. I had stayed in the room, but it was more for the light and that it overlooked Sunset and Helmut Newton stayed in 49 and he’s a hero of mine and I looked at his photos. But yeah, it’s hard to pick one. I feel like that hotel there is a sort of decadent side to it and I don’t know if people staying there have that in mind. It just feels like it brings out people’s naughtiness. Andre [Balazs], the owner, was saying they tried to make it a safe haven where things could go wrong.

What was the process like to decide exactly how much background information you provide for the audience about Johnny versus how much you hide?

I don’t try to hide anything, but I don’t like to over-explain things. I like to give enough information that you can get an idea of who this guy is and hopefully learn more about him as we go.

How’d you wind up casting Chris Pontius? He’s great in Jackass, but I wouldn’t expect him to be in one of your films.

Yeah, it’s funny, I just knew him from real life and I’ve seen him with my friends’ kids and he’s always really sweet with kids and I figured from Jackass he’d be a good improviser, but I’ve always thought he was funny and I hoped that his real personality would come through and I was really glad.

I think they call the Marmont the “little castle on the hill” and I think in your last film …

Marie Antoinette?

Yeah, there were so many exterior shots of Versailles and not so much in this one. It’s a really interesting building from the outside, but I feel like it’s much more interior what you’re doing.

Yeah, I tried to stay inside.

Why?

I just wanted to be inside his world and he’s kind of claustrophobic and just really in there with him as opposed to something more on the outside.

How did you manage that? I know it’s really hard to get in there.

Oh, how to shoot there? Yeah, I felt lucky there. I’ve known the manager and Andre the owner for many years, since my early 20s, so when I approached them, he read the script and trusted that I would portray it accurately.