Francis Ford Coppola is RSVPing “yes” to Stephen Colbert’s invitation to appear on The Late Show—under one condition.
The Megalopolis director took to social media on Tuesday to respond to a shoutout he received on Colbert’s show, which followed the host taking a jab at his new movie.
It all started with a joke in Colbert’s Monday night monologue, when the host was covering the enthusiastic crowd at Kamala Harris’ Las Vegas rally. “That audience she was talking to was on fire. I mean, she could have asked them anything,” Colbert said. After successfully trying out a couple examples, he got to the question that ignited the Coppola exchange.
“Do you want to go see Megalopolis?” he shouted. Colbert then played a clip of Harris’ crowd dead-silent (save for the sound of crickets).
Megalopolis is Coppola’s latest feature film—a sci-fi epic he has labored over for decades and spent more than $120 million of his own money making. It was released last week to mixed reviews. (Among the cast is Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman.)
“I disagree,” Colbert quickly added after the punchline. “I think it looks amazing. Francis, please come on my show.”
As it turns out, Coppola is up for the visit. The director accepted the invite via an Instagram video posted Tuesday, albeit with one small requirement. “I’ve always thought Stephen Colbert was a truly excellent mime. So, of course, Stephen,” he said before adding his requirement. “If you see the film Megalopolis, I’ll be happy to come on your show and talk to you about it.”
Colbert has yet to respond to the five-time Oscar winner, but it’s a safe bet he’ll take the director up on the offer. Coppola’s last appearance on a late-night show was on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 1997. Before that, his last venture into the world of late night was that time he directed and co-hosted a 1986 episode of SNL (with Cheers star George Wendt).
