Thread by @Variety

Shia LaBeouf has been cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming $100 million epic feature #Megalopolis.⁠ bit.ly/3KHiTE0

LaBeouf’s casting comes after the star had been all but blacklisted from Hollywood after musician FKA Twigs, his former romantic partner, filed a lawsuit against him for sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress in 2020.⁠ bit.ly/3KHiTE0

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse during the couple’s one year relationship in 2018 & 2019, with the musician claiming LaBeouf at one point nearly choked her to death. It has yet to go to trial. bit.ly/3KHiTE0

After the allegations broke, LaBeouf, who has a history of legal issues and arrests, issued an apology, eventually left his management agency CAA and reportedly sought inpatient treatment. bit.ly/3KHiTE0

Although the actor hasn’t appeared in a Hollywood film since, he is set to appear in Abel Ferrara’s “Padre Pio,” which will open at the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Day’s section later this summer. bit.ly/3KHiTE0

Also set to join 'Megalopolis' — which already boasts an all-star lineup including Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne — are Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Grace Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, and James Remar. bit.ly/3KHiTE0

Coppola wrote the screenplay in the 1980s and the legendary director is financing the dream project himself. The plot has remained largely under wraps, with the story reportedly set in an alternate reality version of New York City. bit.ly/3KHiTE0