13 years after James Cameron with “Avatar – Aufbruch nach Pandora” once again set new standards in the cinema – be it with new 3D technology or a box office record -, says “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water” (theatrical release: December 14, 2022), after numerous postponements, the long-awaited sequel is finally in the house. And after we have already been able to experience a few scenes on the big screen, we are certain: This time, too, the audience will be taken into a fascinating world that will make them spit. But while we still have to wait a few months until the cinema release, Hollywood is already working on the next cinema revolution…
While the author of this article has no doubts that from next year all blockbusters in terms of cinema experience will be based on “Avatar 2”, the master director of films like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” of all people is already working on the next (but one) cinema technology sensation: Francis Ford Coppola will realize its new film and its potential opus magnus “Megalopolis” with the help of a completely new technology.
After the legendary director recently sold part of his wine empire in order to finally be able to realize the mammoth project that had been in the works for decades, the cast recently grew with a whole host of big stars. As if that weren’t enough, the revolutionary technological aspect is now also added – which will definitely make the science fiction epic one of the most exciting film projects of the present or the future.
Megalopolis will be the first film to be shot on the brand new Prysm Stages at Trilith Studiosthe 83-year-old now confirmed, as among other things IndieWire reported. Coppola plans to make the film with “one foot in the past and one foot in the future”, i.e. relying on classic filmmaking on the one hand, but supporting it with the latest technology on the other.
While the “virtual” LED stage, similar to that already used for the “Star Wars”-Series “The Mandalorian“ was used, offers completely new possibilities, he will continue to focus on practical elements for the physical filming on location – from the special effects to the lighting to the camera. In addition, “Megalopolis” should also use other completely new and previously unused shooting techniques, which should ensure an unprecedented cinematic experience. For now, however, further details are being kept under wraps.
In the midst of huge projections that can be individually adapted depending on the film and depict large areas of land or the like, this not only opens up new ways for filmmakers to tell their stories. The actors also appreciate that system. Because they can find their way around a detailed set that would previously have consisted primarily of monochrome green screens and tennis balls or other lifeless markings.
Speaking of cast: The cast of “Megalopolis” is full of well-known names. The two Oscar winners Forest Whitaker (“Rogue One”) and Jon Voight (“Mission: Impossible”), art house star and “Star Wars- Fiesling Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburne (“Matrix”), Shia LaBeouf (“Transformers”), Aubrey Plaza (“Child’s Play”) and Nathalie Emmanuel, known from “Game Of Thrones” and “Fast & Furious”.
It is not yet known when “Megalopolis” will appear. Filming is scheduled to begin next November and will last until around March 2023. In view of the size of the film, a release at the end of next year at the earliest or even 2024 seems conceivable.
This is what “Megalopolis” is about: At the center of the story, which Coppola has been working on since the 1980s, are architects who want to rebuild New York after a devastating catastrophe.
Incidentally, it was on September 11, 2001 that we didn’t get to see this more utopian than dystopian story after the turn of the millennium, when the film was about to be made. Francis Ford Coppola decided after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York namely, to put his project on hold for the time being – but now we should still get to see his sci-fi epic.
