Lionsgate has made the unexpected decision to retract the newly released trailer for Megalopolis, which was unveiled earlier today.
This move follows criticism regarding the authenticity of several critic quotes included in the trailer, which investigations by media outlets such as Vulture discovered to be fabricated.
A spokesperson for Lionsgate stated, “We are immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis. We sincerely apologize to the critics involved, as well as to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this unacceptable oversight in our vetting process. We made a mistake, and we regret it.”
The trailer contained quotes that referenced past critiques of some of Coppola’s renowned films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, attributed to famous critics including Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris. In the context of The Godfather, for example, Kael was quoted as calling the film “diminished by its artsiness,” while Sarris described it as a “sloppy self-indulgent movie.”
This messaging suggested that while Megalopolis was met with mixed reviews after its premiere at Cannes, it would ultimately be regarded as a classic, similar to many of Coppola’s earlier works. It remains unclear how the inaccurate critic quotes ended up in the trailer, which also mentioned critics like Roger Ebert, Vincent Canby, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, and Rex Reed.
In addition to the trailer controversy, Megalopolis has faced other challenges on its path to release. In July, Variety reported alleged unprofessional behavior from Coppola, accompanied by a video showing the director kissing extras on set. A week later, one of the women featured in the video, Rayna Menz, publicly refuted the claims, stating, “He did nothing to make me or anyone else on set feel uncomfortable. I felt disgusted; I was blindsided by it because it was a closed set. The fact that someone had video of that is just ridiculous and super unprofessional.”
Self-funded by Coppola with a budget exceeding $100 million, Megalopolis is described as a Roman epic set in a reimagined modern America. The story depicts the City of New Rome facing necessary changes, leading to conflict between Cesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver), a visionary artist aiming for a utopian future, and his rival, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito), who clings to a regressive status quo fueled by greed and partisanship. Among the story’s complexities is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose affections for Cesar complicate her loyalties and force her to confront her own beliefs about humanity.
Megalopolis, marking Coppola’s first feature film since 2011’s Twixt, also features a cast including 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.