Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming sci-fi epic Megalopolis has had its rating confirmed, continuing a trend for the famous director’s movies. Having had the idea for the movie since 1977, the story of Megalopolis follows architect Caesar Catilina (Adam Driver) who, after the destruction of the dilapidated, futuristic city New Rome, decides to rebuild it as a utopia despite many setbacks. The movie has been the subject of controversy and criticism, from Coppola’s behavior on-set to the polarizing quality of the film as a whole.

Now, Film Ratings has confirmed that Megalopolis will be rated R, continuing a trend in most of Coppola’s filmic work. The site says the rating is because of “sexual content, nudity, drug use, language and some violence,” indicating what mature presentations to expect from the movie. Since most of the director’s well-remembered films, from The Godfather to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, have an R-rating, the decision is no surprise for his latest endeavor.

Why Megalopolis’ R-Rating Makes Sense For The Movie

It’s A Staple For Coppola’s Movies

Despite the film being rated R, not all of Coppola’s best movies carry the same rating. However, critically acclaimed films like The Outsider and Rainmaker that have PG and PG-13 ratings respectively are a rarity within his film catalog. This is partially why the rating for his latest movie isn’t surprising, as it continues a trend within his movies of making mature stories for older audiences. It also allows for more freedom of exploring the world he’s created, showing Caesar’s journey without downplaying any elements of what he does.

The movie is also going to be exploring many complex ideas, with the protagonist having to compete with Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who wants to keep New Rome the same as it was prior to the disaster. Still a third major character, Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel) is in the mix, being the mayor’s daughter as well as Caesar’s love interest. Given the number of different character stories and themes likely to be explored, it makes sense Coppola would want it to be realistic enough to attain an R-rating.

Despite Megalopolis having divided reviews, the rating indicates its presentation will be accurate to the vision Coppola always had for the movie. This means everything about the film’s story can appear in the way the director originally intended, without needing to differentiate it for a changed rating. Since this film is something he’s wanted to create for decades, it’s rating is a good sign that whatever gets presented onscreen is what he intended for the final product to look like.

Source: Film Ratings