Megadoc

Last updated
Megadoc
Megadoc.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Mike Figgis
Produced byJames T. Mockoski
Tara Li-An Smith
Starring
CinematographyMike Figgis
Edited byJoe Beshenkovsky
Music byMike Figgis
Distributed by Utopia
Release date
  • August 28, 2025 (2025-08-28)(Venice)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Megadoc is a 2025 American documentary film which follows the production of the film Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola. It was directed by Mike Figgis. [1] [2] It premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in August 2025.

Contents

Production

Background

Filmmaker Mike Figgis met Francis Ford Coppola while making Leaving Las Vegas, through the film's star and Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage. Coppola later asked Figgis to be involved with an edition of his magazine All-Story and Figgis stayed in touch with the magazine's editor Michael Ray; when Coppola eventually began production on Megalopolis, Ray mentioned this to Figgis. Having not heard of Megalopolis at the time, Figgis looked it up and, due to its lengthy production history, sent Coppola a message of congratulations. He "added a cheeky PS" saying he was open to documenting the production if Coppola was interested. [3]

In preparing to make the film, Figgis read Sam Wasson's The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story and Notes on a Life by Eleanor Coppola, whom he also asked for advice due to her involvement in making Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, the behind-the-scenes documentary of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. [3]

Filming

Coppola replied to Figgis three weeks before pre-production began [3] on Megalopolis in Atlanta, offering Figgis complete access to the set, albeit in an informal and casual style. The documentary began filming there in November 2022. [4] Besides himself, Figgis had one person, Tara Li-An Smith, [5] acting as both his assistant and producer with him on set. Initially they used a relatively large camera but, and despite Coppola giving them free rein, [3] soon realized that to minimize their impact on proceedings and be agile enough to capture the active environment, they needed a smaller set-up and changed to a Nikon Z8. [5] The cast and crew of Megalopolis were also initially wary of him, besides Aubrey Plaza: in character as newscaster Wow Platinum, Plaza noticed Figgis filming their rehearsals on his first day and "just grabbed [him] and ordered [him] to follow her around" to be like Wow Platinum's cameraman. Figgis was grateful for this, as it made him more comfortable filming the rehearsals before the production got to know him. [3]

He ultimately bonded well and spent time off-set with members of the crew, as well as being given time by other actors like Jon Voight and Shia LaBeouf; lead actor Adam Driver had requested to not be filmed, which Figgis said he completely understood: "You play differently when you're performing your part for the camera and when you're performing while a documentary camera also shoots you." [3] Driver was interviewed for the documentary, as were others who appear less in candid footage, like Nathalie Emmanuel. [6] Though conflicts and delays frustrated the production of Megalopolis, they provided ample material for Megadoc. Figgis filmed many of LaBeouf's arguments with Coppola, as well as interviewing Coppola during periods when the director had changed his mind and was waiting for the crew to reorganize for his new plans. [4]

Figgis continued filming from rehearsals, throughout the shoot, and during post-production of Megalopolis. [7]

Post-production

Editing on Megadoc had been completed by May 2024, down to a runtime of around two hours; Figgis said there was a possible alternative cut in the style of a six-part miniseries, and even more material. [7] The documentary includes footage of a 2001 table read of Megalopolis with its then-prospective cast of Uma Thurman and Robert De Niro, and 2003 rehearsals with Ryan Gosling, [6] [8] from the extensive archive material Coppola offered for the documentary. [5]

Release

In May 2024, Figgis said that he aspired for the documentary to premiere at a festival later that year before having a theatrical release. [7] It was reported around the time, however, that release of Megadoc would be contingent on that of Megalopolis, which did not have a distributor. [9]

Li-An Smith handled sales. [5] Utopia – which was founded by Coppola's nephew Robert Schwartzman – acquired North American distribution rights to Megadoc early on, with StudioCanal – which represents Coppola's filmography – taking global rights on August 28, 2025, before it premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on the same day. [10] The film is set to receive a limited theatrical run in US cinemas from September 19, 2025, with Utopia in partnership with Lionsgate re-releasing Megalopolis in conjunction. Figgis is set to attend premiere screenings in New York and Los Angeles, and will also host screenings of his other films in promotion, including a 4K restoration of Leaving Las Vegas. [11] A trailer was released on September 2, 2025, prominently featuring quotable lines from Coppola and Plaza. [12]

Reception

Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [13] Reviews tended to positively praise the documentary in comparison to its subject. [2] [14] Peter Bradshaw considered Megadoc avoiding allegations of Coppola's inappropriate behavior towards female extras to be a flaw, but found it an engaging and successful documentary, praising Figgis' ability to show the working relationships between Coppola and a mixed variety of actors. [8]

References

  1. Buchanan, Kyle (2025-08-28). "Venice Film Festival: 'Megalopolis' Documentary Reveals Coppola's Biggest Conflict". The New York Times . Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  2. 1 2 Bibbiani, William (2025-08-28). "'Megadoc' Review: Warts-and-All Doc Reveals How Coppola's 'Megalopolis' Became a Mega-flop-olis". TheWrap . Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brzeski, Patrick (2025-08-27). "Inside 'Megadoc': How Francis Ford Coppola Made Mike Figgis an Offer He Couldn't Refuse". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  4. 1 2 Rose, Steve (2025-08-29). "'He's a jump-off-the-cliff kind of guy': inside Francis Ford Coppola's chaotic Megalopolis shoot". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Biennale Cinema 2025 | Megadoc". La Biennale di Venezia. 2025-07-16. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  6. 1 2 Keslassy, Elsa (2025-08-28). "'Megadoc': 4 Things We Learned From Mike Figgis' Documentary Chronicling Francis Ford Coppola's Self-Financed Epic 'Megalopolis'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  7. 1 2 3 Ruimy, Jordan (2019-08-19). "'Megadoc': Mike Figgis' 'Megalopolis' Behind-the-Scenes Documentary is Ready". World of Reel. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  8. 1 2 Bradshaw, Peter (2025-08-30). "Megadoc review – absorbing account of an impressive and indomitable Francis Ford Coppola at work". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  9. Amrouni, Charlotte (June 4, 2024). ""Megadoc" de Mike Figgis : dans les coulisses de "Megalopolis" | Les Inrocks". Les Inrocks (in French).
  10. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2025-08-28). "Studiocanal Acquires International On Mike Figgis' 'Megadoc' About Making Of Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis'". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  11. Ritman, Alex (2025-09-02). "'Megadoc' Trailer: Mike Figgis Goes Behind-the-Scenes of Francis Ford Coppola's Epic 'Megalopolis' in Making-Of Doc (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  12. Hiatt, Brian (2025-09-02). "'Megadoc' Trailer Goes Inside Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis': 'I'm Confronting Chaos'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  13. "Megadoc". Metacritic . Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  14. Mintzer, Jordan (2025-08-28). "'Megadoc' Review: Francis Ford Coppola and Shia LaBeouf Steal the Show in Mike Figgis' Juicy 'Megalopolis' Production Exposé". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2025-08-30.