Adam Driver is getting another shot at being the star of a major sci-fi franchise, but unfortunately, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis may suffer from the same exact problem that Star Wars did. Megalopolis is a new sci-fi film written, directed, and produced by the famous director, Francis Ford Coppola. Apparently, Coppola has been developing this project for decades, and is now, in 2024, on the verge of finally releasing it. Megalopolis’ cast will feature Adam Driver, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Schwartzman, among others.
This is far from being the first of Adam Driver’s sci-fi movie franchises. Notably, Driver portrayed the antagonist Kylo Ren in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While the Star Wars franchise has long been successful, there have definitely been some installments of the franchise that have been better received than others. Ultimately, there are a number of reasons for this. Some Star Wars movies may just be better than others, but there are also other external factors as to why certain parts of a franchise don’t do as well.
Megalopolis’ Hype Could Prove Just As Damaging As Star Wars Sequel Excitement
One significant reason why the newest generation of Star Wars movies did not perform as well as its predecessors was because of the massive hype attributed to them, and it is very possible that this same problem could affect Megalopolis. In 2015, Star Wars was making its return after a decade between Revenge of the Sith and The Force Awakens. In these new films, Star Wars fans would see a completely different side of the franchise, with new characters and new stakes. While this was obviously exciting for audiences, this anticipation was also a major downfall for the films, because when expectations were not met, disappointment was imminent.
Ultimately, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis could suffer from the same fate that the newest Star Wars movies did. Although Megalopolis does not have a six-movie franchise backing it up, there are still plenty of reasons why the film is highly anticipated. First and foremost, it is created by Francis Ford Coppola, who is the mind behind iconic films like The Godfather franchise, Apocalypse Now, and The Outsiders. Furthermore, Megalopolis itself has been rumored for so long now, and has been in development for so long, that audiences are likely expecting quite a lot from this project.
Megalopolis Has 1 Big Advantage The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Didn’t
Although Megalopolis could have a tough time overcoming audience assumptions, something good is that there will be no creative assumptions when going into the movie. Where Star Wars had decades of lore and story behind it, Megalopolis stands on its own, and therefore, viewers will not be as tense about what direction the movie goes in. Plus, because Coppola is financing the entire film, there won’t be any dueling opinions on the movie’s creative direction either. Megalopolis will be a fresh new story with a strong creative direction, and hopefully, this can save it from its hype.
