He may be a "creative guy" rebelling against the system. But the product will still suck unless he's like Mel Gibson. Or he's crazy like Tom Cruise.
He may be crazy, but not like Tom Cruise. He’s 85 years old. This is presumably his last film, and it has apparently been rattling around in his head for decades. I don’t follow him at all — mention his name and I think The Godfather, then Apocalypse Now, and then go blank — but glance at his Wikipedia page. He has certainly had an amazing career and has been willing to take big risks. In the context of modern Hollywood, he’s a larger than life throwback character. That makes him interesting. It doesn’t mean Metropolis will be a great movie, but he’s swinging for the fences. On his own dime. Whatever this film turns out to be, it won’t be formulaic hackwork.