Francis Ford Coppola Describes His Upcoming ‘Distant Vision' As “More Ambitious Than Megalopolis"

While promoting "Megalopolis" in France, Francis Ford Coppola, 85, revealed that he's still working on his wild sounding “Distant Vision” (via Le Monde).

“Distant Vision”, my other project, is more ambitious than “Megalopolis”. It is inspired by Thomas Mann’s “Buddenbrooks” [1901], which follows a family during the economic boom in Germany, over three generations. My film will tell the story of a family turned upside down by the invention of television, over three generations. It will be shot in a form, let’s say “televisual,” that I call “live cinema.”

Meanwhile, Coppola tells La Liberation that the film, which he is still grasping, will be “shot entirely live,” and that it will be “much harde” to make than “Megalopolis.”

Coppola had previously theorized it in his essay, "Live Cinema and Its Techniques,” that the film would qualify as “live cinema.” The style seems to be inspired by the old TV dramas Coppola grew up on — almost like filming a theater play with multiple cameras. Is it maybe akin to what Stephen Frears’ did in 2000’s “Fail Safe”?

Coppola initially workshopped “Distant Vision” at UCLA, back in 2015, as a live cinema performance piece, produced over three weeks, in a 6,000-square-foot soundstage on Oklahoma City Community College’s campus. Coppola claimed to be pioneering a “brand new art form” with this work.

Regardless, we should scratch off any retirement plans for Coppola. He’s just getting started. Nothing is going to stop him from continuing to make films, except, of course, for age and health, which tend to sneak up on you when you least expect it.

With that said, “Distant Vision” will not be Coppola’s next film. He’s currently prepping “Glimpses of the Moon,” a musical adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel and “inspired” by Leo McCarey’s “The Awful Truth.”

In the meantime, Coppola’s “Megalopolis” finally hits theaters on Friday.