Lionsgate has removed the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s film Megalopolis after it was discovered to contain fabricated quotes from film critics regarding Coppola’s previous works. The studio, which is handling the film’s distribution in the United States, publicly apologized to both critics and Coppola, acknowledging an “inexcusable error” in their vetting process.
The trailer, which had been released online, aimed to showcase critics’ negative appraisals of past Coppola films, perhaps in response to the mixed reviews Megalopolis received during its premiere at the Cannes film festival. It featured a voice-over from co-star Laurence Fishburne, suggesting that “genius is often misunderstood.” However, the quotes attributed to iconic critics were false. For instance, a supposed remark from Pauline Kael describing The Godfather as “diminished by its artsiness” was actually a distortion of her positive review. Similarly, a fabricated comment from Rex Reed labeling Apocalypse Now as “an epic piece of trash” was untrue, as was an alleged critique from Roger Ebert claiming Bram Stoker’s Dracula was “a triumph of style over substance,” which was misattributed.
The accuracy of how these fake quotes were produced remains unexplained. The trailer had gained over 1.3 million views within its first day online. Megalopolis, which boasts a cast including Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel, reportedly cost Coppola $120 million to produce.
Critics have expressed varying opinions about the film, with the BBC’s Nicholas Barber labeling it a “pretentious, portentous curio.” The film is set to be released in U.S. theaters on September 27.
In addition to the trailer controversy, the production faced another issue earlier this year when reports from Variety surfaced, featuring footage of Coppola appearing to act inappropriately with female extras on set. The director has denied these allegations, stating in an interview that he is “not touchy-feely” and considers himself “too shy.”