Megalopolis Was Meant to Use Alexa

While “Megalopolis” was in pre-production in 2021, Francis Ford Coppola presented Amazon with a unique idea: the director asked if the company would create a customized version of Alexa to be used in specific theaters. As Coppola told The Telegraph in a new interview, audiences would have the opportunity to ask Adam Driver’s character a question about what had transpired in the movie so far — and Alexa would choose the most relevant answer from a pre-approved list.

“Imagine!” Coppola said. “You could see ‘Megalopolis’ five times in its opening week and it would be different each time! It would have been the future of the movies and ancient theater rolled into one!”

Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out due to layoffs at Amazon that resulted in thousands of jobs cut from the Alexa team, including those working on the project for “Megalopolis.” Coppola didn’t plan to move forward with the idea at all until Driver proposed an actual in-person stand-in for Alexa: the local theater’s usher, who would instead ask a pre-approved question.

The film’s team tried the idea out at festival screenings and will repeat it at movie theaters in the U.K. in September. “In its final form, it is such a small thing,” Coppola said. “But everyone who sees it is amazed that it’s actually there.”

It’s not the first time Coppola has toyed with the idea of interactivity. Another instance was with his 2011 film “Twixt,” which featured alternate directions the narrative could move in via a controller the director used at screenings to swap in different shots.

Coppola also told the Telegraph that he was first inspired to bring “Megalopolis” to life back in the 1970s, while pondering ancient Rome. He realized, he added, that the modern equivalent of ancient Rome is the United States, something that he felt became more relevant as the years went by.

The director famously funded the movie’s $120 million budget himself. He also found himself embroiled in controversy after Variety ran a piece that accused Coppola of inappropriate behavior toward two extras on set; days later, a third extra sued Coppola for the same. Coppola in turn filed a libel lawsuit against Variety earlier this week.

“You know, I always felt like a ­creation of Hollywood,” Coppola said. “I went there in pursuit of all these beautiful things they were making. I was in awe of the place. I got to work for Roger Corman; I got to meet Vincent Price. Now, Hollywood doesn’t want me anymore. They’re the parents that disown the unruly child — they created me, now they don’t want me. I understand it, but it still hurts my feelings. I accept it, but I also can’t.”

You can read the entire interview with Francis Ford Coppola at The Telegraph.