In this universe, Christianity does not exist
Line of Events
The city of Nova Roma is pitted against Cesar Catilina, a brilliant artist who champions a utopian future, and the greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero. Between them is Julia Cicero, her loyalties divided between her father and her lover. Francis Ford Coppola wrote the script in the early 1980s, but the film was shelved, in part due to his financial debts. Pre-production finally began in 2001, after shooting 30 hours of second unit footage and doing table reads with Paul Newman, Uma Thurman, Robert De Niro, James Gandolfini, Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Edie Falco and Kevin Spacey, but the project was scrapped after the September 11 attacks because a scene in the script (page 166) “predicted” the attacks. Coppola abandoned the project entirely in 2007 and did not begin developing it again until 2019. At 21:40, Catilina’s character says the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” in amazement. However, in-universe, the city of Nova Roma derives from a culture based on Roman mythology (example: 54:47, the dedication to Vesta; 01:55:51, someone says “The will of Cronos”, or at 01:56:49, a statue of Saturn is prominently displayed, while there are many other depictions of Roman deities). There is no reason for Catilina to use the phrase “Holy Jesus Christ!” and in such a context… Cesar Catilina: *Do* you want to help me?
Julia Cicero: Yes
And, well, I… well, I want to learn. Cesar Catilina: And you think that a year of… medical school gives you the right to explore the riches of my Emersonian mind? Julia Cicero: Give me the right? Cesar Catilina: Yes. Julia Cicero: [scoffs] Give me the right? Cesar Catilina: Yes! Julia Cicero: Give me the right?
Cesar Catilina: YESSSSSS!
Julia Cicero: You have no idea about me! Do you think I’m nothing, just a socialite? Cesar Catilina: No, I’m nothing, but I reserve my time for people who can think. About science. And literature, and… architecture and art. Do you think I’m cruel, selfish and insensitive? I am. I work without caring what happens to any of us.
Julia Cicero: Okay!
So go back to the club, expose everything and pursue the kind of people you like. I’ll go. Cesar Catilina: Come back when you have more time!. The “Ultimate IMAX Experience” version The film’s trailer features a live actor asking questions during the filmed press conference. Featured on Amanda the Jedi Show: MEGALOPOLIS is my Nightmare | Explained (2024). My Pledge Written by Grace VanderWaal Performed by Grace VanderWaal Courtesy of Columbia Records By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment Produced and orchestrated by Kris Kukul. The mere mention of Francis Ford Coppola’s name conjures up a myriad of breathtaking experiences. Over the decades, the filmmaker has created a monumental filmography, one that few directors could dream of matching. He solidified his legacy with *The Godfather*; with *Apocalypse Now*, he became immortal.
He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time
Yet his latest film, the highly anticipated *Megalopolis*, is a bewildering cacophony, oscillating between the sublime and the strange, between hope and dreams. While not a total failure, it falls short of what one would expect from such a celebrated director. The film’s plot revolves around the ideological clash between the prodigious architect Cesar Catalina, a Nobel laureate, and Frank Cicero, the mayor of New Rome – a futuristic New York. While the politician governs with his eyes on the past, relying on experience and tradition in his decisions, the architect dreams of radically transforming life through a utopia made possible by the “megalon”, a miraculous material. Throughout the film, Coppola denounces the rampant hypocrisy and corruption of contemporary Western society.