In an extraordinary decision, Lionsgate has retracted its newly released trailer for Megalopolis, which was unveiled earlier today.
The move follows controversy surrounding quotes from critics that were included in the trailer, which an investigation by Vulture and other outlets revealed to be fabricated.
“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” a studio spokesperson stated. “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 messed up. We are sorry.”
The trailer featured quotes that highlighted previous criticisms of Coppola’s celebrated films, including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, attributed to renowned critics like Pauline Kael from The New Yorker and Andrew Sarris from the Village Voice. For example, Kael is quoted as saying that The Godfather was “diminished by its artsiness,” while Sarris described it as a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.”
The intent appeared to be to suggest that while Megalopolis has been polarizing—as evidenced by its divisive reception at its Cannes premiere—the film would ultimately be regarded as a classic, similar to many of Coppola’s earlier works. It remains unclear how numerous inaccurate critic quotes ended up in the trailer, with additional critics cited including Roger Ebert, Vincent Canby, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, and Rex Reed.
This trailer issue is not the only controversy surrounding Megalopolis; in July, Variety reported on alleged unprofessional behavior by Coppola, which included a video that appeared to show him kissing extras on set. Shortly after, one of the women involved, Rayna Menz, disputed this account, telling Deadline, “He did nothing to make me or anyone on set feel uncomfortable. I felt disgusted; I was blindsided by it because it was a closed set. That someone had video of that is just ridiculous and super unprofessional.”
Self-financed by Coppola with a budget exceeding $100 million, Megalopolis is described as a Roman epic set in a fictional modern America. The story revolves around the City of New Rome facing transformation, igniting a clash between Cesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver), a visionary artist who aims to create a utopian future, and Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who is dedicated to maintaining the status quo of greed and partisan conflict. Caught in the middle is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose affection for Cesar causes a rift in her loyalties, compelling her to explore her true beliefs about humanity.
Megalopolis marks Coppola’s first feature film since 2011’s Twixt and features a cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. The film is produced by Barry Hirsch, Fred Roos, and Michael Bederman.
Lionsgate plans to release Megalopolis in U.S. theaters on September 27.