Lionsgate has pulled the trailer for the highly anticipated Francis Ford Coppola film “Megalopolis” after it was discovered that some of the quotes from film critics included in the preview were fabricated. The controversy arose when Vulture questioned the authenticity of the quotes, which were intended to reference negative reviews of Coppola’s past masterpieces like “The Godfather.”
“Megalopolis,” a sci-fi film loosely inspired by the Catilinarian Conspiracy of 63 BC, features a stellar cast including Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, and Grace VanderWaal. The film has already sparked debate among critics, even before its official release. Coppola, known for his legendary status in the film industry, self-financed the project, which has been a passion project for the director for years.
The issue came to light when Vulture pointed out that the trailer seemed to be employing a common marketing tactic—using divisive quotes from critics about previous films to highlight how initial negative reactions can later be proven wrong. However, Vulture’s investigation revealed that the quotes attributed to renowned critics such as Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris were likely fabricated, raising serious ethical concerns.
“At first, this new trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s much-anticipated, decades-in-the-making ‘Megalopolis’ seemed to be taking a turbo-loaded approach to that latter strategy, going back in time to give us examples of critics hating on Coppola’s earlier masterpieces,” wrote Bilge Ebiri, a film critic for New York Magazine and Vulture. “Except that it looks like they might not have said any of this.”
In response to the controversy, Lionsgate swiftly pulled the trailer and issued an apology. “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” a spokesperson for Lionsgate said in a statement to CNN. “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 incident has cast a shadow over the film’s marketing campaign, but it has also brought even more attention to the film, which many fans and critics have been eagerly awaiting. “Megalopolis” is expected to be one of the most talked-about films of the year, especially given its ambitious scope and the legendary status of its director.
As the film community digests this latest development, it remains to be seen how the controversy will impact the reception of “Megalopolis” when it finally hits theaters.
