'Apocalypse Now' Was Nearly Abandoned During Production, Now Ranked Among Best Films of All Time
In 1979, Francis Ford Coppola released one of the most influential films ever made-but there was a moment when it seemed like the movie would never see the light of day at all.
In the years since its release, Apocalypse Now has become an undeniable staple of the war genre, with its commentary on the Vietnam War reflecting a contemporary unrest with the political, social, and ethical ramifications of war itself.
The film was loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad's book, which takes place in the Congo in the late 19th century. Coppola and John Milius, who co-wrote the screenplay, changed the setting to Vietnam to reflect the ongoing conflict at the time. The story centers around an American soldier who travels through the dangerous jungles of Vietnam to execute a Special Forces officer who stands accused of murder.
Apocalypse Now stars Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, and Lawrence Fishburne in some of their earliest on-screen roles. Coppola, Milius, and Duvall all received Oscar nominations for their contributions to the film.
While today, Apocalypse Now is considered an enduring classic of the war genre, the film went through an incredibly turbulent production process that almost killed it before it was even released. Apocalypse Now was supposed to take five months to shoot; it ended up taking twelve.
Coppola decided to bring the cast and crew to the Philippines to shoot on location in the jungle, which ended up being the first mistake. The extreme weather caused huge amounts of destruction to the sets and recording equipment, which constantly had to be replaced or substituted with less expensive alternatives. The budget was initially intended to be $2 million for the five-month shoot, and Coppola ended up spending over $30 million (via Variety).
"We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane," Coppola said at the film's premiere in Cannes.
And the weather wasn't the only problem: lead actor Martin Sheen also suffered a near-fatal heart attack on-set that halted production for several months, as filming couldn't go on without him. The actor was forced to claim that he was merely experiencing heatstroke to keep insurance providers from pulling the plug on production.
As if that wasn't enough, Coppola also regularly fought with actors Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper due to their reported lack of professionalism. Hopper was allegedly on drugs the entire time, having previously asked for "about an ounce of cocaine" in exchange for his appearance in the film (via The Guardian). Brando also caused problems for the director, as he turned up to production severely overweight and without having read the script.
Thankfully, the troubled production was clearly worth it to make Apocalypse Now as gritty, authentic, and visceral as it ended up being. The film was ranked No. 19 on Sight & Sound's most recent collation of the 250 Greatest Films of All Time, just behind Close-Up and Persona.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 8:48 AM.