Lionsgate pulled the latest trailer Wednesday for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” after it featured fake reviews from critics of his previous works.
The trailer — which appears to still be available widely online as of Thursday morning — attempts to place “Megalopolis” alongside Coppola’s other movies, such as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” by using fake reviews from movie critics panning his previous works. Apparently the trailer was trying to make the point that “Megalopolis” is so good that it’ll withstand the test of time, which is just a super weird way to promote a movie.
“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis’,” a spokesperson told Variety. “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.”
Variety critic Owen Gleiberman was cited as saying “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is “a beautiful mess” while he worked at Entertainment Weekly. But this is incorrect. (RELATED: Can You Make Out What The ‘White Noise’ Movie Trailer Is About?)
“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,” Gleiberman said following the trailer release. “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.”
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: Aubrey Plaza, Francis Ford Coppola, Romy Croquet, Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel attend the “Megalopolis” Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: (L-R) Laurence Fishburne, Francis Ford Coppola and Giancarlo Esposito attend the “Megalopolis” Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 16: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This image has been converted to black and white) (L to R) Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver and Francis Ford Coppola attend the “Megalopolis” red carpet during the 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 16, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Apparently, this isn’t the first issue to hit the $120 million self-funded Coppola flick. Video shared in July by Variety showed Coppola trying to kiss female extras on the film set while crew members described his alleged behavior throughout production. (RELATED: REVIEW: ‘The Instigators’ Is Laugh-Out-Loud Funny. Casey Affleck Belongs In Comedy)
Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf star in the film. And judging by the trailer, it could be amazing or absolute trash. I guess we’ll see.
“Megalopolis” hits theaters Sept. 27.
