Francis Ford Coppola set out to break from movie 'formula' on Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola is delighted to have defied convention with 'Megalopolis'.

The 85-year-old director has helmed the new sci-fi drama that has divided critics and explained that he set out to avoid making a typical picture.

Speaking to Empire magazine, Francis said: "The movie business tries to encourage everyone to think there's only one way a movie can be. It has to have a protagonist, then, in the first few minutes, it has to have an antagonist.

"They are prescribing a formula that they'll be able to sell over and over again. So when a movie comes along that doesn't fit that formula and they don't think it's a new formula that can be repeated, they don't want to do it because they feel there's too much risk.

"'Apocalypse Now' is a perfect example. When it came out, people said, 'What the hell is this?' But they never stopped going to see it. With 'Megalopolis' you can't put a label on it. And that's great. That's the kind of film I like."

Coppola has spent many years trying to make 'Megalopolis' and has even financed the movie himself but does not consider it to be any more of a "passion project" than his other films.

'The Godfather' director said: "I think all my films are passion projects. Even when you're doing a film for money, when you get down into the work, you're passionate about it because cinema is something you can't do without loving.

"I've seen great directors like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg do something on their cut and then dance around like kids with enthusiasm.

"This idea of 'passion project' is another one of these coined phrases. All making movies is passionate. It cannot not be. It's too exciting."