Francis Ford Coppola is a busy man these days, but one unintentional controversy was his reported dislike of superhero movies. But the iconic director of The Godfather has cited an exception: Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.
Even though he bashed the Marvel Cinematic Universe as "despicable," Peter Ramsey, one of the directors of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, previously went on the record to say, "Francis has seen it and was very complimentary." So Coppola's feelings on the genre aren't as simple as headlines make it out to be, and as it turns out, Coppola is a fan of Deadpool.
While speaking to Variety, Coppola explained that he liked Deadpool, even going as far to say "I thought that was amazing." So Coppola's feelings on the genre aren't as simple as headlines make it out to be. Coppola explained that the blockbuster system does curate strong talent, citing directors like Dune's Denis Villeneuve and No Time To Die's Cary Joji Fukunaga as great filmmakers of this scale. But he is concerned that the system doesn't allow for more experimental or passionate films, and wishes more directors to ask questions and follow their hearts. He stated, "Cinema is supposed to illuminate contemporary life, and make us understand what’s going on. So we need the artists to give us a vision of what’s going on."
Regardless of whether fans agree with Coppola, his concerns about superhero movies are certainly valid, as the omnipresent nature of superhero movies have inarguably made it more difficult for original films to become a hit. Thankfully, Coppola has a plan. He is using $120 million of his own money to direct Megalopolis, a massive sci-fi film in the style of a Roman epic. He hopes to challenge audiences everywhere, explaining, "people are going to be scratching their heads saying, ‘Wow, it has so much in it that we didn’t understand at first that we understand now.'"
Coppola recently returned to the editing room to deliver two long-awaited directors cuts. The first was Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, which provides a happy medium between the theatrical and Redux editions. And next was The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which critics cite as a major improvement on The Godfather: Part III. But that's not enough for Coppola, as he's returning to the director's chair as well. This is great news, as his colleagues Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese are still making great movies. If Coppola can reach similar late-period success, it will be a rare privilege to see.
Will Coppola put his money where his mouth is and deliver a film well above the Marvel movies? If anyone can do it, surely the man behind The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and many more will beat that challenge.
Deadpool 3 is in development at Marvel Studios.
Sources: Variety, @pramsey342