Aubrey Plaza Joins Adam Driver in Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis

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Aubrey Plaza has been tapped to star opposite Oscar nominee Adam Driver in Francis Ford Coppola’s long-in-development epic drama Megalopolis, according to Deadline.

Megalopolis is the long-awaited passion project from Coppola, who's brought audiences iconic films throughout his career from The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and more. Currently, the feature is sitting at an almost $100 million budget and has been in development for several decades. Per Deadline, the logline reads: "The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius and conflicted love." Additional specifics on the story are being held close to the chest for now.

Plaza gained recognition for her iconic TV role as April Ludgate in the popular sitcom Parks and Recreation and other TV shows such as Legion. Her film credits include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, To Do List, Life After Beth, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Ingrid Goes West, and Black Bear. She was most recently seen in the newly-released films Emily the Criminal and Spin Me Round. She will also appear in the upcoming second season of HBO's The White Lotus, which is expected to premiere sometime this October.

Megapolis has been Coppola’s passion project since the 1980s. Set in modern-day America, it reportedly centers around the aftermath of a devastating disaster, where an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia. The 82-year-old filmmaker has confirmed that the story will get to explore timely themes while also featuring Roman epic influences. Coppola will direct the feature from his own screenplay, as well as independently finance it. Along with Plaza, the confirmed cast includes Adam Driver, Laurence Fishburne, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, and Jon Voight.

In an earlier statement, Coppola expressed some of his hopes for the film, saying:

"This film I want to make, I believe is an exciting change from the kinds of movies being offered to the public.Mainly because it puts forward a fundamental message that it’s time for us to consider that the society we live in isn’t the only alternative available to us. And that a utopia isn’t so much a little experimental place in the country; a utopia is a discussion of people asking the right questions on just that subject, and if the society we’re living in is the only alternative or, if for the sake of young people, there are better choices that should be discussed."

Megalopolis currently has no projected release date, though it is in pre-production with production starting this November.