Lionsgate has decided to pull the newly released trailer for Megalopolisdirected by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, following the discovery that several critic quotes featured in the trailer were fabricated. The quotes, which were highlighted prominently, appeared to reference earlier criticisms of Coppola’s acclaimed works, including the godfather and Apocalypse Now.However, investigations by Vulture and other media outlets revealed that these quotes were entirely fictitious.
“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” a studio spokesperson said. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”
The fabricated quotes attributed to well-known critics like Pauline Kael of The New Yorker and Andrew Sarris of Village Voice suggested that while Coppola’s films were initially divisive, they later achieved classic status. For example, Kael was falsely quoted as describing the godfather as “diminished by its artsiness,” while Sarris allegedly called it a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.” Other critics supposedly quoted in the trailer included Roger Ebert, Vincent Canby, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, and Rex Reed.
The misleading messaging seemed intended to frame Megalopoliswhich had a polarizing reception at its Cannes premiere, as a future classic, despite mixed early reviews. However, the discovery of these erroneous quotes has prompted Lionsgate to act quickly, pulling the trailer and issuing a public apology.
This controversy is just the latest in a series of challenges that Megalopolis has faced. In July, Variety reported on alleged unprofessional behavior by Coppola on set, including a video that appeared to show the director kissing extras. One of the women in the video, Rayna Menz, later disputed the account, defending Coppola and criticizing the recording as unprofessional.
Megalopolisa Roman epic set in a futuristic America, is Coppola’s first feature since 2011’s TwixtThe film, which Coppola self-financed with a budget exceeding $100 million, stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, and Shia LaBeouf, among others. Lionsgate plans to release the film in US theaters on September 27.