Latest news with #AbramsBooks
San Francisco Chronicle
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Francis Ford Coppola turns ‘Megalopolis' into a graphic novel after box office flop
Francis Ford Coppola's long-gestating passion project ' Megalopolis ' was a notorious bomb at the box office. Maybe a graphic novel adaptation of the movie will fare better. Coppola revealed that he has signed off on 'Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: An Original Graphic Novel,' which is set to be published by Abrams ComicArts, a division of Abrams Books, in October. Chris Ryall, who has adapted graphic novels based on works by Stephen King, Clive Barker and Harlan Ellison, is the writer. The artist is Jacob Phillips, best known for 'That Texas Blood and Newburn.' 'I hoped the graphic novel would take its own flight, with its own artists and writer so that it would be a sibling of the film, rather than just an echo,' Coppola said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter posted Thursday, April 24. 'That's what I feel Chris, Jacob Phillips and the team at Abrams ComicArts have accomplished. It confirms my feeling that art can never be constrained, but rather always a parallel expression, and part of the bounty we can make available to our patrons, audiences and readers.' 'Megalopolis' follows architect and visionary Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), whose efforts to create a utopian city are challenged by a corrupt mayor (Giancarlo Esposito). The film also stars Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Nathalie Emmanuel and Laurence Fishburne. Coppola worked to bring his vision to the screen for four decades, selling off part of his wine estate and self-financing the $120 million film. Released in September, the film grossed a mere $14.3 million globally. The movie was polarizing, not only due to mixed audience and critics reactions but also because of various controversies that dogged the production, from allegations of on-set misconduct against Coppola to a movie trailer that featured fabricated quotes from critics. Yet the distinctive visual look, including the costumes, production design and cinematography did generally draw praise, and could be seen as a strong foundation for a graphic novel presentation. It is not publicly known what kind of financial arrangement Coppola made with Abrams Books, but whatever it is, the filmmaker apparently needs the money. He went on record producer Rick Rubin's 'Tetragrammaton' podcast in March and shared that he was essentially broke. 'I don't have any money because I invested all the money that I borrowed to make 'Megalopolis,'' he explained. 'It's basically gone. I think it'll come back over 15 or 20 years, but I don't have it now.'
South China Morning Post
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Nora Ephron, queen of romcoms: a new book recalls the magic of her films
Some time around the turn of the millennium, Ilana Kaplan stumbled across a romantic comedy marathon on TV. Watching in her New Jersey home, she found herself mesmerised by You've Got Mail (1998), the Tom Hanks -Meg Ryan vehicle that is considered one of best romcoms of all time. 'I was completely enamoured by their chemistry. It made me feel like I wanted to live in a romcom and have that meet-cute experience,' says Kaplan. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the classic 1998 romcom You've Got Mail. Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection It was also Kaplan's first encounter with Nora Ephron, who directed and co-wrote the iconic film. Eventually, this led to another – and very different – kind of love story: the one between a fan and a filmmaker. After that first viewing of You've Got Mail , Kaplan says she's watched the film dozens of times, alongside other Ephron staples, chiefly Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and When Harry Met Sally (1989). And in one of those serendipitous turns of event usually found only in romantic comedies, Kaplan – a long-time writer and editor (New York Times, Rolling Stone) – was approached by Abrams Books a few years ago, and asked to write a book on Nora Ephron. The result, Nora Ephron at the Movies , was published last year. Nora Ephron at the Movies by Ilana Kaplan. Photo: Handout 'We wanted the films and her directorial work to be the central focus of the book,' says Kaplan, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. 'We segmented her films by theme, and looked at themes that resonated in her work.' The book is more than just a comprehensive history of Ephron's life and work. It is also unabashedly a love letter to the writer – to her spirit and creativity, and the subtle optimism that ran through her work – even though her own life was marred by disappointments in love. It is written in a chatty, conversational tone – and with a very clear affection for the subject. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks with child actor Ross Malinger in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection 'Nora was her words,' Kaplan writes. 'Copy was her currency – whether consumed on the page or on the screen. Every sharp, witty line is delivered with the brutal honesty of a best friend. It's what made her writing so relatable, so human. Even if you didn't know Nora, she knew you.' Considering Ephron's lineage, there was almost no way she could have not entered the entertainment industry. Her parents were Henry and Phoebe Ephron, both playwrights, screenwriters and directors. Her sisters Amy and Hallie are novelists, while another sister, Delia – who co-scripted You've Got Mail with Nora – also wrote films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and Hanging Up (2000).
