Francis Ford Coppola Allegedly Tried To Kiss Female Extras On Set Of ‘Megalopolis’ To “Get Them In The Mood”

Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi epic Megalopolis is finally on the horizon after almost 40 years of development. But a new report from The Guardian features dozens of complains from crew members who claim the famed director spent “hours on end” in his trailer, wasted time on set, and exhibited “unpleasant” behavior toward the cast and crew while filming in Atlanta, Georgia.

According to the report, “several” sources pointed out Coppola’s “old school” behavior toward women during filming. He allegedly pulled women to sit on his lap, sources claimed.

In another instance, while filming a nightclub scene, the Godfather director allegedly tried to kiss “some of the topless and scantily clad female extras,” the outlet reports. Sources said that he claimed he was “trying to get them in the mood” for the scene.

Megalopolis co-executive producer Darren Demetre addressed the accusations, telling The Guardian, “There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players.”

Demetre claimed, “It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project.”

The production was reportedly mired in issues. In 2022, most of the visual effects and art teams were either fired or quit.

A crew member recalled one particular moment where Coppola’s vision for the movie “kept evolving but he would never settle on one.” When they proposed settling on what it would look like, Coppola allegedly replied, “How can you figure out what Megalopolis looks like when I don’t even know what Megalopolis looks like?”

Crew members claimed they tried to “make the best out of” the filming they did accomplish with Coppola. One crew member said, “This sounds crazy to say, but there were times when we were all standing around going: ‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?’”

According to one source, Coppola regularly said, “I don’t want to make a Marvel movie,” regarding the film’s special effects. But, as the source pointed out, “That’s what he ended up shooting,” after they made the switch from using the Volume to green screen special effects.

Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Nathalie Emmanuel, and many more, the film follows “an architect [who] wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster,” per the film’s logline. Coppola wrote and directed the film.

Megalopolis will premiere at Cannes Film Festival this Friday, May 17.