Francis Ford Coppola has been accused of having “old-school” behavior toward women on the set of his upcoming film about the future, Megalopolis, in a May 14 piece in The Guardian. The story chronicles the 40-year process of getting Megalopolis made and the chaotic process of its filming, during which half the art department left or was fired. Coppola, 85, allegedly pulled women onto his lap and, during a two-day-long filming sequence set in a nightclub, allegedly tried to kiss female extras who were in states of undress to get them “in the mood.” Executive co-producer of Megalopolis Darren Demetre told The Guardian Coppola gave the extras “kind hugs and kisses on the cheek.” “It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film,” he added. “I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour during the course of the project.”
Megalopolis, a sci-fi dystopian film starring Adam Driver as an architect with the power to freeze time, is a Coppola passion project of the nth degree. He sold part of his vineyard to finance it, and it has made distributors famously antsy, with one saying after a screening that “anybody who puts P&A behind it, you’re going to lose money.” The film is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, where it is playing in competition. After 40 years, will the chaos behind the scenes lead to brilliance or more mess?