“Our new film ‘Megalopolis’ is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” reads a quote attributed to iconic director Francis Ford Coppola attached to the official trailer for his new epic film.

The picture, which will premiere in competition on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project many years in the making for the director, who first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.

The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film. 

The trailer starts with a voice-over musing about the decline of empires – “when does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it — before cutting to a Roman chariot race, a metropolitan skyscape and scenes of protest.

According to the official synopsis, “‘Megalopolis’ is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”

“Megalopolis” sports an all-star cast, with Driver leading the pack alongside Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.

Coppola wrote and directed, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman producing. Executive producers are: Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, Darren Demetre.

Watch the trailer here.