According to Robert Duvall, Francis Ford Coppola has approached Christian Bale to star in his upcoming movie, Megalopolis. Coppola, director of The Godfather movies, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker's Dracula, is one of the most awarded and iconic filmmakers of all time. Bale is an Academy Award-winning actor known for his work in The Dark Knight, American Psycho, Ford v Ferrari, and many other films. Duvall's acting career spans 70 years and he knows Coppola well, acting in three of his movies.

Coppola is working on a new film titled Megalopolis, which he describes as a Roman epic set in a fictional utopian New York City. Despite being such a well-known director, Coppola has reported having difficulty finding outside funding sources for his latest projects, so he is planning on financing the $120 million movie mostly by himself. Since the film was announced, rumors have been circulating about who Coppola is going to cast in Megalopolis. While no cast has been confirmed, Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Forest Whitaker, Jessica Lange, Zendaya (star of Euphoria), Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jon Voight have all been discussed as possibilities.

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Duvall states in an interview with The Gate that Coppola is interested in casting Bale as the lead in Megalopolis. Bale and Duvall worked together in The Pale Blue Eye, Netflix's upcoming Gothic horror film. Coppola himself has not confirmed this information, but here is what Duvall had to say about Bale's potential casting:

“Wonderful young actor. And in fact, I think Coppola approached him to play the lead in his new big movie…”

Francis Ford Coppola Megalopolis Spending $120 Million

Duvall's statement could possibly indicate that some of the actors previously rumored to be affiliated with the project are no longer able to be involved. For example, it's possible Isaac is too busy filming Dune: Part 2 to take on a new role – although his character died in the first film, there may be flashback sequences. In general, many of these actors already have a lot on their plates, so depending on when they start filming Megalopolis, a lot could shift in terms of casting.   

If Bale does end up being cast in Megalopolis, it could certainly bode well for Coppola's new film. Since Bale is known for fully transforming himself to embody whatever role he's playing, it seems his acting style would lend itself well to Coppola's vision for Megalopolis. While Coppola has not released an official production start date, he's stated in past interviews that he hopes to start filming in fall 2022, so hopefully, more information regarding Bale's potential involvement with Megalopolis will be released soon. 

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Source: The Gate