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Lionsgate Has Pulled The Megalopolis Trailer Over Fake Quotes

Lionsgate pulled the trailer for Megalopolis after discovering that the quotes from negative reviews of Francis Ford Coppola's other films were fake.

Earlier today, the first trailer for Megalopolis was released, and the first minute was something to behold. It was a bunch of negative reviews from other films by Francis Ford Coppola that we consider classics now. It was a weird first minute because it ended with a voice-over declaring Coppola's genius and saying he is always ahead of the times. However, Vulture decided to do a little fact-checking and found out that all of the quotes in the trailer, which had names and outlets accredited to them, were false. It was made worse that the legends being named like Pauline Kael, Roger Ebert, and Andrew Sarris have all passed away, so the trailer was quite literally putting fake words into the mouths of the dead.

The whole thing is made even more garish because back in June, it was reported that Lionsgate was not handling the marketing of the film, but Coppola was the one putting up the money for the marketing. The Hollywood Reporter said, "Lionsgate, it appears, will not be paying for marketing. Instead, Coppola is expected to provide the spend himself. Lionsgate intends to put the feature on more than 1,500 screens, which sources in the distribution world say would require around $15 million to $20 million in marketing. It's unclear how much Megalopolis' campaign will entail." The first minute was already self-aggrandizing considering the source, Coppola's team but is rendered worse by the fake quotes using the names of some of the best of criticism to sell a movie desperately trying to find an audience.

It seems that Lionsgate isn't about to throw Coppola under the bus. They pulled the trailer from YouTube and issued a statement that indicates that the fault lies with them, not Coppola. "Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for 'Megalopolis,'" a Lionsgate spokesperson said in a statement provided to 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." Perhaps Coppola just wrote a check to Lionsgate to handle the marketing, and this doesn't come down on him, but either way, this is just another chapter in this movie's extremely messy history.

Megalopolis: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman, Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor's daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves. Written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film is produced by Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, and Michael Bederman, and executive produced by Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, and Darren Demetre. Megalopolis will be released in theaters on September 27th.

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