Francis Ford Coppola's 2024 Sci-Fi Movie Pays Off The Godfather's First Line 52 Years Later

Summary Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola mirrors The Godfather's iconic line "I believe in America" over five decades later.

Despite differences, both films share themes of societal expectations vs. corruption and have faced rocky development processes.

Ford Coppola's latest project, Megalopolis, explores the clash between utopian vision and political turmoil in a futuristic metropolis.

The Godfather is, arguably, Francis Ford Coppola's greatest movie and now his latest project has a clever connection to the 52-year-old film. Widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time, The Godfather tells the story of the Corleone family, an Italian American crime family overseen by patriarch, Vito Corleone. The Godfather's cast includes Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and James Caan, while the film was nominated for eleven Oscars, including Best Director for Ford Coppola. Now, Ford Coppola's latest release pays off one of The Godfather's best lines.

Owing to its popularity, many lines and scenes from The Godfather have left a mark on popular culture. From the horse's head scene to the car explosion to the line, "I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse", The Godfather is responsible for some of cinema's greatest moments. However, one line from the movie's first scene holds more weight than almost any other in the whole film and now, over five decades since The Godfather's release, Ford Coppola's latest feature looks set to reference that quote.

Related The Godfather: 15 Best Michael Corleone Quotes Some of the best Michael Corleone quotes from the Godfather trilogy are chilling, while others are very wise. Either way, they're unforgettable.

Megalopolis Mirrors The Godfather's "I Believe In America" Line More Than 50 Years Later

Despite Being Very Different, The Two Movies Share One Thing In Common

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is an epic science fiction film that has been in development for over four decades. It stars Adam Driver and Giancarlo Esposito as two men with contrasting ideas about how a New York-like city should be rebuilt following its accidental destruction. On paper, Megalopolis and The Godfather share little to nothing in common. However, recent comments made by Ford Coppola about his new movie suggest it and The Godfather share similar themes. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Ford Coppola described Megalopolis by saying:

I believe in America. Our founders borrowed a constitution, Roman law, and senate for their revolutionary government without a king. American history could neither have taken place nor succeeded without classical learning to guide it.

The filmmaker's comments mirror the opening line from The Godfather. In the first scene of the movie, an undertaker named Bonasera asks Vito for his help in avenging his daughter, who was assaulted by two men. He begins his relation of the events by stating, "I believe in America", a line which Ford Coppola deliberately echoed in his recent comments.

While the two movies might be very different on the face of it, Ford Coppola's remarks imply that Megalopolis and The Godfather share a central idea. The Godfather's opening scene depicts a man who has a vision of America, but who soon finds that it is plagued by corruption and darkness. This appears to be a key theme in Megalopolis, which centers on the idea of building a society with good intentions, only for crime and wickedness to take over.

Megalopolis' The Godfather Comparisons Make The Movie Even More Exciting

The Godfather Is Still Ford Coppola's Most Famous Film

Close

Not only is The Godfather Ford Coppola's magnum opus, but it's also arguably the movie where he has the most to say about the world around him.

Ford Coppola's attachment, as well as the involvement of well-known talents such as Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Voight, and Laurence Fishburne, among others, should be enough to get cinephiles excited about Megalopolis. Nevertheless, the revelation that Ford Coppola's new film will have a connection to The Godfather, only makes Megalopolis a more appetizing prospect. After all, Ford Coppola's Godfather movies are some of the most revered and beloved films in all cinema, and despite enjoying a long and diverse career, the filmmaker has never managed to better them.

Not only is The Godfather Ford Coppola's magnum opus, but it's also arguably the movie where he has the most to say about the world around him, except for possibly 1979's Apocalypse Now. The director is at his best when he's making subtle yet direct points about America and society as a whole. Therefore, the fact that he will be returning to the theme of societal expectation vs. corruption in Megalopolis should be incredibly pleasing to fans of The Godfather.

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis Has Already Mirrored The Godfather Behind-The-Scenes

Both Movies Have Experienced Rocky Development Processes

Aside from their thematic similarities, Megalopolis and The Godfather share one other thing in common; behind-the-scenes problems. Though it seems strange to imagine now, at one point The Godfather was not expected to be a hit. Ford Coppola and Paramount, the studio behind the movie, came into conflict on several occasions due to the director's indecisiveness and habit of going over budget. While Ford Coppola firmly believed in his vision for the film, studio execs were less convinced, so much so that Ford Coppola felt like he was on the verge of being fired throughout The Godfather's production.

In a case of history repeating itself, the development of Megalopolis has also been anything but easy. A passion project of Ford Coppola's, Megalopolis has been in the works since 1983, with the director financing the movie himself. However, the film has been struggling to find a distributor, owing to its niche premise and the lukewarm reception it received following an early screening. Like The Godfather, Megalopolis is a movie that is wholeheartedly believed in by Ford Coppola, but that is struggling to win over studios. Unlike The Godfather, however, it's unlikely that Megalopolis will end up being a hit.

Source: Vanity Fair