Sofia Coppola discusses Apple TV+ pulling funding for her ‘The Custom of the Country’ adaptation
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American filmmaker Sofia Coppola has discussed the axing of her planned mini series, an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, The Custom of the Country.
Released in 1913, the book follows Undine Spragg, whose family move from the Midwest to New York City in the hopes of finding her a suitable spouse.
Coppola, who recently released her eighth feature film, Priscilla, had been working on the miniseries for two years before Apple TV+ “just pulled out.”
“They pulled our funding. It’s a real drag. I thought they had endless resources,” the director added to the New Yorker. Coppola also stated that the project would’ve been her biggest yet, equating it to “five Marie Antoinettes.“
The 2006 film, which explores the isolation felt by the young French queen, remains one of Coppola’s most successful movies and was made on a budget of $40 million. Thus, it seems as though The Custom of the Country would’ve had a considerably larger budget.
Coppola argued that the executives, whom she labelled “mostly dudes,” had a hard time getting on board with her ideas for The Custom of the Country. “They didn’t get the character of Undine”, she revealed, who was set to be played by Florence Pugh.
The filmmaker explained that executives declared Undine to be “so unlikable,” with Coppola adding, “But so is Tony Soprano!” She continued, “It was like a relationship that you know you probably should’ve gotten out of a while ago.”
Last year, Coppola told the New York Times: “The people in charge of giving money are usually straight men, still. There’s always people in lower levels who are like myself, but then the bosses have a certain sensibility.”
“If it’s so hard for me to get financing as an established person, I worry about younger women starting out. It’s surprising that it’s still a struggle,” she added.
Watch the trailer for Coppola’s most recent film, Priscilla, below.
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