Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf has landed a leading role in Francis Ford Coppola‘s upcoming epic $100-million movie Megalopolis, according to a Variety report.
The news comes one week after the actor, 36, spoke to the publication about recent controversies that had stalled his career, including his relationship with former girlfriend FKA twigs, who filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual battery and “relentless abuse” in December 2020. He also disputed the claim that he was fired by director Olivia Wilde after initially being cast in Don’t Worry Darling.
Following the lawsuit, LaBeouf sought inpatient treatment and parted with his agency, CAA, while on a hiatus from acting.
Entertainment website Giant Freakin Robot was the first to report the LaBeouf casting news.
LaBeouf joins an ensemble cast which includes Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Forest Whitaker, Grace VanderWaal, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Nathalie Emmanuel, James Remar and Kathryn Hunter.
The ambitious film explores the notion of creating a utopia after a devastating disaster forces New York City to rebuild, according to an IMDb synopsis.
In a letter to Wilde, published by Variety last Friday, the actor denied the director’s claims that he was fired from her movie and also referenced his “failings with Twigs.”
Taylor Hill/WireImage; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Olivia Wilde, Shia LaBeouf
“My failings with Twigs are fundamental and real, but they are not the narrative that has been presented,” LaBeouf told Wilde, 38, in the email. “There is a time and a place to deal with such things, and I am trying to navigate a nuanced situation with respect for her and the truth, hence my silence.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
In a previous interview with The New York Times, 34-year-old Twigs (born Tahliah Debrett Barnett) called her experience with LaBeouf “the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life.” The British musician, who co-starred with LaBeouf in Honey Boy, added, “I don’t think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that’s the thing. It can happen to anybody.”
Meanwhile, LaBeouf’s newest project, Padre Pio, premiered Thursday at the Venice International Film Festival.
RELATED: Shia LaBeouf on His New Relationship with Catholicism: ‘God Was Using My Ego to Draw Me to Him’
The star recently spoke to Bishop Robert Barron of the Word on Fire Catholic Ministries for a wide-ranging conversation about religion, and says he filmed the movie during a dark point in his life.
“I know now that God was using my ego to draw me to Him,” he told Barron. “Drawing me away from worldly desires. It was all happening simultaneously. But there would have been no impetus for me to get in my car, drive up [to the monastery] if I didn’t think, ‘Oh, I’m gonna save my career.’ “
