Megadoc – The Mike Figgis directed documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is heading our way

Utopia has acquired North American rights for Megadoc, an in-depth documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) that goes behind-the-scenes of the making of Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited and deeply personal magnum opus, which premiered one year ago at the 77th Cannes Film Festival before its nationwide release last September. The documentary is produced by Tara Li-An and James Mockoski. Utopia plans to release Megadoc theatrically this autumn.

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

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

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

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

Megalopolis stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.