Lionsgate released a trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” earlier this week which gave viewers the first official look at the science fiction drama starring Adam Driver.
The film – which was aimed to be poised as a work of art that would be long remembered, much like Coppola’s previous films such as “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” – was said to have “polarized critics” after its May 16 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
But, to drum up more positive buzz and drown out the division of the film, the trailer included multiple quotes from famous film critics that were later revealed to be phony. As a result, the trailer was pulled the same day.
“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.”
Included were the fraudulent quotes pulled from critics panning Coppola’s previous work, but none of the quotes used – which were attributed to the likes of Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael – could be found in any of their actual reviews.
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman was incorrectly cited as calling the 1992 film, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” “a beautiful mess” while highlighting its “absurdity” when he reviewed the film for Entertainment Weekly at the time of the movie’s release.
“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 to Variety of the trailer’s fraudulent quotes. “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.”
Right now, it’s unclear where most of the quotes that were included in the trailer originated from, except Ebert’s comment, “a triumph of style over substance,” which was pulled from his 1989 review of “Batman” and not about “Dracula,” as indicated in the trailer.
“Megalopolis” releases in U.S. theaters on Sept. 27.
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
