Francis Ford Coppola, 86, ‘rushed to hospital' in Italy
It has been reported that the 86-year-old legendary filmmaker was hospitalised at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic on Tuesday morning.
The director was attending the Magna Grecia Festival in Calabria, screening his newest film Megalopolis, which stars Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, and Giancarlo Esposito.
Local reports from the Italian press such as ANSA suggest that Coppola has been in the region for some time scoping out locations for an upcoming project in Autumn.
The director is best known for his films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the director was experiencing heart problems.
Metro has reached out to Francis Ford Coppola's representatives for comment.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Original Naked Gun director reveals why he's refusing to watch the new remake
MORE: Freakier Friday is a completely unnecessary sequel – but I loved it
MORE: TV reboots aren't evil – but this remake has made an unforgivable mistake
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Games Inbox: Do adults still play Fortnite?
The Wednesday letters page thinks the Switch 2 may be stuck being a second console, as a reader asks when the next mainline Zelda will be released. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Kids' game The Power Rangers trailer for Fortnite was very cool. Good enough that it made me think about playing the game again, which I haven't done for what must be at least three years. That made me wonder what is the average age of a Fortnite player? Roblox is obviously just for kids, but Fortnite probably does have lots of adult players, or does it? The only adult I know that plays it regularly, plays it with his son as a bonding kind of thing but I'd be curious to hear from any Inboxers and see if they play it. I'm not dissing the game, I always enjoyed it well enough, but I'm just not sure who it's for anymore. If you watched Power Rangers as a kid you'd be pushing 40 by now, which doesn't strike me as the key Fortnite demographic. I know Power Rangers is still going today but I don't think it's anywhere near as popular now as it was back in the 90s. There are lots of other adult franchises in the game but most of those skins were a few years ago, I think. So is Fortnite just for kids or is it really something that everyone plays from time to time? I really don't know. Whistler Aidos, Amiga I don't think there's ever going to be justice for Amiga games in terms of remasters, because it was only big in Europe and nobody's going to put the money needed into making a new Alien Breed or Hunter. They're just never going to make a return on the investment, even though some of the games are broad enough an idea that they should be of interest to plenty of people. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. We might not get Elite 3 or Mercenary 4, but a big sandbox sci-fi adventure should be an idea that appeals to plenty of people. The problem with that is Starfield tried that and by fact of being laughably bad (and far less ambitious than any of these old Amiga games) has soured anyone else from ever trying again. Or at least for a long while. So instead we get cheapo sequels to James Pond by a developer you've never heard of and who probably won't even finish the game. It's a shame but there it is. Robbie the Randbot Direct talk Very interesting that we're getting another non-first party Nintendo Direct this week, this time for indie games. That's probably going to mean at least one shadow drop and… probably no Silksong. It's interesting because Nintendo does see the need to promote its third party games (even if it didn't do a good job of it) and indie titles at this time, just when we all thought they should show off their first party stuff. I think we will get that but like a reader said the other day, I think it's going to be multiple game-specific ones. So one for Metroid Prime 4, Hyrule Warriors, Kirby Air Riders, and maybe Pokémon Legends. Enough to make it seem like Nintendo's got a lot to talk about, while preventing them from having to actually announce anything new. Onibee Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Legendary wait Just picked up the Switch 2 Edition of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild from CeX. It was a no-brainer what my next pick would be, after being gifted the Mario Kart World bundle. Of course it would be a title from my favourite franchise. I said previously that Final Fantasy is my favourite, when I mailed a list letter a few months ago. But I've just grown accustomed to the fact that it was Zelda that popped in my mind, when I received my Switch 2. I've taken that back. Zelda is my ride or die. It's just magical and, thankfully, it's still an exclusive for Nintendo. I'll also be buying Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom as soon as I can. Because who truly knows when the next Zelda game will be released? It may very well be a few years away and it will definitely be the first Zelda game that won't be on the original Switch. Which I welcome with open arms. But if we are getting a new title in the future can I just have my remaster or remake of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time before that and can we just please play as Zelda? Because last time I checked, she's the name that carries this franchise. I think playing as a mute blonde warrior is quite outdated. But that's just me. I still love you Link. Shahzaib Sadiq GC: There's zero chance of a mainline Zelda game until at least 2028, probably later. Safe pair of handsI see Nightdive's games are on sale at the moment on Steam. I've just picked up Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition for £1.79. I would have bought it full price a while ago but found out it was one of the weaker ports Nightdive has done. I don't mind trying it for £1.79 though. Generally, all the games they have done have been to a very high standard. There was an article in Edge about them in the past year or so, where it said they were remote working before the term was popularised during Covid, with members of the Nightdive team being in different locations. What got Nightdive started as a studio was that one of the developers wanted to play System Shock 2 on a modern computer and found they were not able to, so they decided to do it themselves, along with other co-workers and getting it working on modern computers. Andrew J. PS: I see the Nintendo Survey for people's views of physical and digital games on the Switch has been closed for some reason. GC: There're rumours Nightdive are currently working on a System Shock 2 remake and/or a Quake 3 remaster. Happy to the max Picked up a Mad Max download for a bargain £2.99 in the last Xbox sale. I'm a big fan of the films, especially the first two. I was hoping for a car game, a bit like the excellent Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. It has elements of it but it's actually a bigger beast. Its a third person open world sandbox of the wastelands from the second film. It has Batman: Arkham Asylum style fighting plus loads of car combat. You can steal raiders cars and collect them at your base GTA style. There are races, camps to raid and violent storms that come out of nowhere. You can upgrade your main car with battering rams and more powerful nitro boosts. And best of all the harpoon, which you can pull cars over with, pull gates off their hinges or snipers out of their towers. Or just pull the whole tower down. You have to scavenge to survive and ammo is scarce. Have to say you can shoot the enemy cars' fuel tanks or tyres or the enemy themselves. I've always thought they should make a movie between the first and second films, with Max as a cop battling the madness before and after the nuclear war. It could even be the plot for a sequel to this game. Inbox magic make it so. Johnny Alpha SD Currently playing: Star Wars Outlaws, Halo Infinite, and looking forward to Battlefield 6 beta. The Battlefield approach I think comparing sales of Battlefield 4 and Call Of Duty: Ghosts pretty much sums it up. That was as close as EA ever got to beating Activision and it wasn't really close at all. I find it very odd that they're putting so much money and effort into Battlefield 6. Not that it doesn't look good, but they have two decades of proof that casual gamers aren't interested in a complicated military shooter where you constantly get killed by someone you never saw and are always too late to get any of the vehicles. I really don't know why they didn't make a new game that was kind of similar, especially in terms of destruction, but more approachable for ordinary people. Gonzo Companion console There's not much more to be said about the Nintendo Direct but do agree with a recent letter that suggested it should have been pulled, as its mere existence has somehow made getting a Switch 2 less appealing. I wanted to pick up the third parties situation on Switch 2, generally. The Switch is a great machine but, much like the Wii, it ended up being everyone's 'second console' for Nintendo games and the odd indie. Larger third party releases were barely able to break even on a console that had sold 150 million units. The worry is that Nintendo are setting the console up to fail with third parties again. We've already had those alarming stories of sales figures from the launch line-up. After this initial wave of publisher optimism in a new format the hard reality of poor unit sales could force a rethink in support, maybe making it even worse than the original Switch in the end, given how much more expensive to develop and likely port PlayStation 4 and 5 era games are. Already, if you look at gaming comment sections around Switch 2 the majority say the system 'is for Nintendo games' and they aren't bothered if third party games run poorly or turn up at all. They have a PC or PlayStation too, so why pay £70 for a worse version of Elden Ring? Can Nintendo turn that perception around? Or do they even care if they're selling a boat load of Mario Karts? Once the launch period settles down, I don't see any reason to expect third parties to flock to Switch 2, as its place in the market will be the same as the original Switch. What reason is there to suggest we will see bigger sales from these type of titles second time around? Marc Inbox also-rans Great interview with The 8-Bit Big Band guy, GC. I have never heard of the group before but some of those songs are fire, especially OutRun and F-Zero. Tommo GC: Thanks. Really excited to see what's next after Baldur's Gate 3, but also exactly how much money Larian will be able to get to make their next game. I'm not sure we've ever seen such a small company get a boost like this before. Closest comparison might be CD Projekt. Chris GC: Larian are not small, they had 470 employees as of last year. That's bigger than many first party studios. More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Will Battlefield 6 outsell Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7? MORE: Games Inbox: What year will PS6 be released? MORE: Games Inbox: What is the next Assassin's Creed game?
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Stephen Mangan admits: ‘I can be just as ruthless as everybody else'
It's not easy to be ruthless and to throw other people under the bus. At least, that's what one might assume… until there's a £250,000 prize up for grabs. That's the aim of the game in ITV's The Fortune Hotel, which is back for its second series tonight, as 11 pairs – a mixture of friends, colleagues, relatives and partners – battle it out in a game of treachery while basking in the Caribbean sunshine. 'It's a really difficult game, because they really get to know and like each other over the course of the time we're there,' host Stephen Mangan tells Metro. 'It's really difficult to brutally pull the plug on another pair and send them home, but you have to do it.' Stephen, an actor, presenter and comedian, imagined how he'd fare if he took part in the competition – and he had a frank admission to make. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'I'd like to sit here and say, 'Oh, I'd be too nice to be good at it.' I probably wouldn't. I'd probably be just as ruthless as everybody else,' he admits. 'I don't know. I mean, it's hard to know. I think the great thing is, until you're in that situation… there's some twists this year that put people under enormous pressure. It's amazing to watch. I wouldn't want to be in that position myself.' In real life, Stephen is widely regarded as a TV nice guy, years after playing the arrogant Guy Secretan in Green Wing and going toe to toe with Steve Coogan in I'm Alan Partridge. For several years, I've enjoyed watching him host one of my favourite shows, the ever-wholesome Portrait Artist of the Year. He has a positive outlook on the world, explaining that he 'fundamentally' believes that 'most people are trustworthy'. Nonetheless, a show like The Fortune Hotel proves that sometimes, you need to listen to your gut when it's telling you to take a closer look. 'I think why the show is so interesting is because we all spend our lives trying to work out if people are being straight with us, if people are trying to pull the wool over our eyes, if they're trying to pull a fast one,' Stephen says. 'That's one of the challenges of being an adult these days – trying to work out who's on your side, who wishes you well, and who is trying to get one over on you. 'So it's fascinating. We all hope that we can tell if people are lying to us, but some people are really, really good at it.' The launch of The Fortune Hotel series two comes after the series made its debut on ITV last year, with mother-and-son duo Jo-Anne and Will taking home the £210,000 cash prize. This time around, the contestants had the benefit of being able to watch the previous season to try and suss out the game. But, they might not be as prepared as they think. This year, there are 11 pairs of competitors at the start of The Fortune Hotel. Those who make it into the luxurious hotel in the Caribbean are each given a briefcase – one of which contains the coveted £250,000 cash prize. Another briefcase contains an 'early checkout card', which could result in a pair being sent home. All of the others contain blank sheets of paper. At the end of each day, the contestants come together in the hotel bar and have the chance to swap their cases. Their decisions are crucial, as they could cause another pair to suspect that they have the winning or losing case. Whoever ends up with the 'early checkout card' by the end of the night is sent home. They also take part in challenges to try and figure out who has which case as the show progresses. It's a game of logic combined with luck. 'It was exciting the first time around because it was a show that had never been done before. Sometimes these shows are formats that they've tried in other countries and have been a hit, so they know how they work. But we were inventing a brand new game, which is exciting and terrifying at the same time,' the host recalls. 'The first series was exciting to see if it worked. And it did. It worked really well, so much so that we got our second series. Then the interesting thing is, how do you make it better?' So how do you make it better? 'More surprises, more challenges, more epic things happening,' Stephen promises. He adds that some of the competitors coming to the series with a plan based on the previous season 'made it more exciting', as they were more willing to take risks. 'They just went for it. It made those evenings in Lady Luck's Bar so tense, so dramatic, so exciting.' More Trending At this point, it's unknown whether The Fortune Hotel will come back for a third series. But Stephen hopes that by the time audiences finish the second, they'll feel 'bereft' – so much more that they'll demand its return. 'Every episode gets more exciting. Every episode, it's harder to predict what's going to happen,' he states. 'There are surprises from the beginning, first minute till the last. So hopefully they'll just be chomping at the bit for season three.' View More » The Fortune Hotel returns tonight at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Francis Ford Coppola in hospital in Rome, reports say
Francis Ford Coppola, the veteran American Italian film-maker behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has been hospitalised in Rome, according to reports in the local media. Coppola, 86, was admitted to Policlinico Tor Vergata, a public hospital, on Tuesday morning for an operation related to heart issues that had been long scheduled, Corriere della Sera reported. But he suffered a mild cardiac arrhythmia before the operation and doctors placed him under observation, Corriere added. The Oscar winner is a frequent visitor to Italy, and in mid-July attended the Magna Graecia film festival in the southern Italian region of Calabria to present his latest film, Megalopolis. He had also been spending time scouting for locations in Italy for a new production due to begin filming in the autumn, Ansa reported. On Friday, Coppola completed a six-city US tour to promote Megalopolis, according to Hollywood Reporter. It is unclear when he returned to Italy. Speaking to the audience at the film festival in Calabria, Coppola, the winner of five Oscars, said: 'Young people say the world is a disaster, but I reply that there is no problem man can't solve.' Megalopolis, his sci-fi epic starring Adam Driver, cost $120m that was largely funded through the sale of his vineyards. But reviews have been mixed, with the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw calling it a 'bloated, boring and bafflingly shallow film'. Coppola, however, appeared to have no regrets about his passion project. He said: 'There are many people, when they die, they say: 'Oh, I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that'. But when I die, I'm going to say: 'I've got to do this and I've got to see my daughter win an Oscar and I've got to make wine and I've got to make every movie I wanted to make.' The director, whose wife Eleanor died in April last year, added: 'And I'm going to be so busy thinking of all the things that I've got to do that when I die, I won't notice it.'
