Here’s a teaser for “MegaDoc,” Mike Figgis’ behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the tumultuous 18-month production of “Megalopolis.” A world premiere is set for the Venice Film Festival.
Back in 2023, Figgis, best known for “Leaving Las Vegas,” embedded himself with Coppola’s $120M passion project, capturing everything from early pre-production to the disastrous rollout. The result is “MegaDoc,” a look at what might be one of the most controversial and divisive film productions in recent memory.
The doc had its first (private) screening this summer in London for a select group of “friends and family.”
Described as “fly-on-the-wall,” this documentary better show us the goods. The chaos, conflict, and creative pain that defined the “Megalopolis” shoot. Figgis claims he was granted full access, with Coppola never once asking him to leave the room. In fact, Figgis has hinted that there’s enough footage for a potential five-part docuseries.
One of the more shocking revelations? The documentary will include the moment Coppola fired the entire VFX department midway through production, allegedly over their “allegiance to the Marvel Universe mode of filmmaking.” lol.
At the London post-screening Q&A, Figgis disagreed with Coppola’s decision, saying, “I felt he was in the wrong.” There were also major departures: the VFX supervisor, production designer, and supervising art director were all removed due to “creative differences.”
Talks are underway about a possible theatrical pairing: a re-release of “Megalopolis” with “MegaDoc” playing beforehand. A limited solo rollout for the documentary is set for September 19 via Utopia.