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Blake, Wm. The Bard, from Gray. 1809.

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Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded film “Megalopolis” is facing challenges in securing a distribution deal, with execs saying the movie is “too experimental” for mainstream audiences. Coppola had envisioned a $100 million marketing campaign for the film, slated for a late 2024 release.

“Megalopolis” explores the aftermath of a disaster in a decaying New York-like city. It poses a debate between whether to embrace the future and build a utopia with renewable materials, or take a traditional rebuilding strategy, full of concrete. Adam Driver stars as an idealist architect, with Giancarlo Esposito opposing him as a pragmatist mayor.

The project, which Coppola first began writing in 1983, cost $120 million to make. The filmmaker was able to fund the film after he sold a significant portion of his wine empire.

One distributor: “There is just no way to position this movie.”

“Everyone is rooting for Francis and feels nostalgic,” said an executive. “But then there is the business side of things.”