Megalopolis controversy explained: Francis Ford Coppola lawsuit, AI & more

Francis Ford Coppola is returning with his next epic Megalopolis, but the movie has run into multiple controversies, including Lionsgate pulling its trailer. 

As the filmmaker behind some of the most critically acclaimed films ever made, from The Godfather to Apocalypse Now, it’s no secret there’s plenty of intrigue over Coppola’s self-funded sci-fi movie. 

Though Megalopolis has divided critics with a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score, Dexerto gave the new movie four stars, describing it as “impassioned, exasperating and exhilarating” while highlighting Adam Driver’s performance.

But as it gears up for its theatrical release, the film’s studio, Lionsgate, is facing AI accusations after pulling the trailer and issuing an apology. Not only this, but Coppola has come under fire for his time on set.

Megalopolis trailer pulled over fake quotes

Lionsgate withdrew a trailer for Megalopolis and admitted it “screwed up” after it was found to contain fake quotes from famed movie critics criticizing Coppola’s previous films. 

The original trailer, released on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, played up to the fact that Megalopolis has received mixed reviews so far by presenting quotes from critics seemingly hating on the director’s past masterpieces.

After a narrator states, “True genius is often misunderstood,” a quote said to be from Andrew Sarris – a pioneer in film criticism – describes The Godfather as “a sloppy, self-indulgent movie.” This is followed with a quote that says it’s “diminished by its own artsiness,” allegedly from The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael. 

In reference to Apocalypse Now, critic John Simon is quoted as calling it “a spectacular failure,” while The New York Times’ Vincent Canby supposedly said the movie’s “hollow at the core.” Daily News’ Rex Reed’s quote, meanwhile, calls it “an epic piece of trash.”

Last but not least is Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which the trailer claims was described as a “triumph of style over substance” by the famed Roger Ebert and a “beautiful mess” by Owen Gleiberman.

This is followed by a flash of buzzwords slating Coppola’s classics, before Adam Driver’s Megalopolis character Cesar Catilina yells, “Stop!” 

While this makes a point about misunderstood cinema, Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri dug into the quotes and found them to be manufactured and not in the critics’ actual reviews. In fact, in some cases the opposite was true. 

“Pauline Kael, for one, totally adored both The Godfather and The Godfather Part II,” wrote Ebiri. “She lavished praise on the adaptation, the direction, and the performances, and said of the whole epic, ‘This is a bicentennial picture that doesn’t insult the intelligence. It’s an epic vision of the corruption of America.’”

While Sarris was less keen on the movie, Ebiri highlighted that “the quote attributed to him in the trailer is not to be found in his review either.”

The Vulture article has since been updated with a response from the studio, which reads: “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis. 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.”

Did Lionsgate use AI?

Lionsgate hasn’t confirmed where the fake quotes came from, but the leading theory right now is that they were produced by an Artificial Intelligence tool like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

X/Twitter user Scott Sullivan put forward this idea, sharing a screenshot of a ChatGPT response to his request for “pull quotes of negative reviews of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now from famous critics.” Similarly to the trailer quotes, the AI tool responds with a series of fabricated lines. 

Alongside the image, Sullivan wrote, “This is how @Lionsgate managed to unknowingly use fake reviews for their trailer of #Megalopolis. (They asked AI to ‘find’ reviews, but these reviews are completely fabricated.)”

Similar accusations were made on a Reddit thread about the scandal, with one asking, “That’s hilarious, did they just think no one would notice?” To which another replied, “They thought whatever ChatGPT spit out was real.”

A third added, “This is 100% someone lazy in the process who used ChatGPT to get the quotes, and nobody bothered to check. There is a scary amount of working professionals and business owners out there who think AI is magic sent from the gods that can do no wrong.”

It’s worth noting that the use of AI hasn’t been confirmed at the time of writing. The Verge posed the question to Lionsgate but is yet to receive a response, meaning this is all just speculation for now.

If it’s true, it wouldn’t be the first time a production has landed in hot water for using AI, with Late Night With the Devil and True Detective both facing backlash for including AI-produced artwork. 

Regardless of how the fake quotes were created, the error has faced backlash, with Gleiberman, who now works for Variety, stating, “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths. 

“Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole Megalopolis trailer is built on a false narrative. Critics loved The Godfather. And though Apocalypse Now was divisive, it received a lot of crucial critical support. 

“As far as me calling Bram Stoker’s Dracula ‘a beautiful mess,’ I only wish I’d said that! Regarding that film, it now sounds kind.”

Megalopolis and Coppola controversy explained

The trailer debacle is the latest in a long list of issues facing the production of Megalopolis, which has been in the works for 20 years and was funded by a reported $120 million of Coppola’s own money.

Alongside production delays, an escalating budget, and rumors of a chaotic set, the new movie was thrust into controversy once more in July when Variety published a video showing Coppola attempting to kiss a young female extra while filming a scene.

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The filmmaker faced accusations of inappropriate behavior

The footage was shared amid allegations of misconduct, with two sources telling the outlet that the director appeared to act with impunity on set and that his behavior was unprofessional.

“I’ve worked with really important directors and that behavior is uncommon – the most I’ve ever seen any director do is say something like, ‘high energy, guys,’” one source added. “I’ve never seen anyone on set, and this extends to a camera operator, so much as touch an actor.”

After numerous takes of the scene, the insider claimed that Coppola announced into a microphone, “Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.”

Following the release of the video, a separate extra in Megalopolis, Rayna Menz, defended the filmmaker. “He did nothing to make me or for that matter anyone on set feel uncomfortable,” she told Deadline. 

“I felt disgusted, I was blindsided by it because it was a closed set. That someone had a video of that is just ridiculous and super unprofessional. 

“It’s gross because he only ever spoke about how wonderful his wife is. His wife was on set with us, most days. It feels gross, seeing that video and the way they were trying to convey a message. Just gross.”

Then, at the start of August, Lauren Pagone – an extra who was kissed by Coppola in the video – broke her silence on the matter to say the incident left her “in shock.”

“I didn’t expect him to kiss and hug me like that. I was caught off guard. And I can tell you he came around a couple times,” she told Variety. 

Pagone went on to describe the upset she felt that Menz would speak on behalf of the cast and crew, adding, “I don’t appreciate anybody speaking for me. I would never speak for that actress.

“I’ve kept my mouth shut. I’ve kept quiet. But it’s frustrating that she’s putting out there, ‘Hey, it was great for everyone’ when she doesn’t know what other people were feeling. You can’t speak for anyone but yourself. My experience was different.”

A spokesperson for Coppola did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment on the matter. However, Coppola is now reportedly suing Variety for $15 million for libel over the July story alleging said inappropriate behavior.

Megalopolis will be released in theaters on September 27, 2024. You can also check out our roundup of the highest-grossing movies of all time, as well as the films coming to streaming this month.