Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola has been planning on making Megalopolis for almost half a century.

After decades of development hell, the legendary filmmaker announced he would self-finance the project by selling part of his Californian winery to put $120 million into the budget.

The experimental sci-fi epic premiered at Cannes this year and ended up polarising the critics.

And now as the first full trailer releases, the marketing campaign has embraced the bad reviews by highlighting how Coppola received some damning ones for his previous work.

These included The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, which are both now considered masterpieces and two of the greatest films ever made.

Coppola’s new film features an impressive cast led by Adam Driver including Giancarlo Esposito, Shia LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

The official synopsis reads: “Megalopolis is a Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor's daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”

Megalopolis hits UK cinemas on September 27, 2024.