Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis has a star-studded cast, among them Shia LaBeouf, whose character is inspired by a real-life person. 2024 has a long list of highly-anticipated movies, among them Megalopolis, written and directed by legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. Megalopolis is a long-time passion project for Coppola, who came up with the idea for it in 1977 and started actively developing it in 1983. After various obstacles and challenges over the years, Coppola revived the project in 2019 and financed it himself, with an impressive budget of $120 million.

Despite not having a confirmed release date yet, the first trailer for Megalopolis has been released, giving the audience an idea of what Coppola’s epic sci-fi drama will be like. Megalopolis is set in a decaying metropolis called New Rome, which was hit by a devastating disaster. Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an architect with the power to control time, looks to rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia, but he will have to face corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). The trailer also shows Shia LaBeouf’s character, who has an interesting real-life inspiration.

Shia LaBeouf Plays Clodio Pulcher In Megalopolis

Megalopolis’ Clodio Pulcher Is Based On A Historical Figure

Although Megalopolis is an original idea by Coppola, he took inspiration from Roman history and real-life people, which will surely be clearer once the movie is out. Shia LaBeouf’s character is Clodio Pulcher, whose name can be seen in the Megalopolis trailer in a brief scene showing people at a rally holding signs with his name and photo. While Megalopolis was in production, set photos revealed LaBeouf dressed as a Greek goddess, which can also be seen at different times throughout the trailer. LaBeouf’s character is based on Publius Clodius Pulcher, a populist Roman politician and street agitator during the First Triumvirate.

Clodius was descended from one of Rome’s oldest and noblest patrician families, and during his term of office, he pushed through an ambitious legislative program. However, Clodius is best remembered for his feuds with his political opponents, particularly Cicero, who wrote about Clodius’ scandalous lifestyle. At one point, Clodius was tried for the capital offense of sacrilege after infiltrating the rites of the goddess Bona Dea, which were women-only, and not even the Pontifex Maximus could be in attendance. Clodius supposedly did this as he wanted to seduce Caesar’s wife, Pompeia, who hosted the rites.

Clodius infiltrated the rites by disguising himself as a woman but was caught in the course of the evening. Although his presence was already sacrilegious, profaning the ceremony to seduce the wife of the Pontifex Maximus was a greater offense to the goddess. Clodius introduced a law that threatened exile for any public official who executed a Roman citizen without trial, which was aimed at Cicero, who went into exile in Greece. Clodius was killed in January 52 BC at the hands of the bodyguards of his political opponent, Milo.

What Megalopolis’ Trailer Reveals About Shia LaBeouf’s Character

LaBeaouf’s Character Might Be More Complex Than It Seems

Knowing the character LaBeouf’s Clodio is based on, the scenes showing him dressed as a Greek goddess make a lot more sense. The Megalopolis trailer hints at Coppola seizing the accounts of Clodius’ scandalous lifestyle and infiltration of the rites, though the exact context for these in the movie remains unclear, but the trailer also shows Clodio’s political campaign. Clodio is shown giving a speech in which he assures the citizens they will take the city back, and looking at his real-life counterpart, he probably is the Mayor’s biggest political opponent.

Clodio might be a more complex character in Megalopolis than it seems, as he looks to have the city’s best interests in mind, but his methods might not be the best. Clodio’s ideas might clash with Cesar’s as well, and his rivalry with Mayor Cicero will bring even more chaos to New Rome. There’s a lot to learn about Megalopolis, but so far, Shia LaBeouf’s Clodio is one of its most intriguing characters.