Francis Ford Coppola was inspired by the Roman Empire when making Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola took inspiration from Ancient Rome for his film 'Megalopolis'.

The legendary director took to social media to offer his contribution to the popular TikTok trend on why men are obsessed with the Roman Empire and explained that the historical period served as the basis for his new sci-fi epic.

Francis wrote on Instagram: "How often do I think of Ancient Rome? Quite a lot.

"The Roman Republic served as the example for my country America and its institutions, and was the inspiration for my upcoming film 'Megalopolis'."

The 84-year-old director – who has helmed movies including 'The Godfather' and 'Apocalypse Now' – continued: "My fascination with the Roman Republic is based on the struggle between the political parties during which the interest of the Republic yielded to the ambitions of a few powerful men who espoused the arms of political parties to establish their own fortunes and authority by relying upon armed forces to achieve those ends, dealing the final blow to a constitution already tottering to its fall."

Adam Driver stars in the movie about an architect who tries to rebuild a city as a utopia following a devastating disaster and previously rubbished claims that there was chaos on set.

He told Paste: "'Megalopolis' is one of the most exciting things that I've been a part of, with Francis in particular.

"It's one of the best shooting experiences I've had. And the things he's made, there's no frame of reference for it. It's so unique and inventive and hopefully accessible by everyone. That it's not so elusive that it's for a certain audience, it's for everyone.

"And he is everything that you hope he will be."