Coppola began developing his latest film, 'Megalopolis', in the early 1980s. The project’s long history has become part of the Coppola legend. The story of 'Megalopolis' is loosely inspired by what he read about the Catiline Conspiracy in 63 B.C.

The new city of Rome has to change, leading to a conflict between the visionary artist Cesar Catilina, who wants to transport the city to a utopian and idealistic future, and the mayor Franklyn Cicero, who is determined to cling to the regressive status quo and continue the greed, personal interests, and partisan strife. Caught in the middle is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter; her love for Cesar has divided her loyalty and forced her to confront what she truly believes humanity deserves.

Coppola, who has made films in various styles and content throughout his career, finds this situation exciting: 'I enjoy making films that I don’t know how to make because if you don’t know, the film itself starts to tell you,' he says. For this film, the director has spent decades researching, drawing inspiration from literary and philosophical works from both the modern era and antiquity, as well as studying historical events from the ancient period, certain judicial cases from contemporary America, and even New York City. One could say that he has taken the tradition of grounding his films in literary works to a new level.