" Even if you ’re one of those people who do n’t care critic , we scarcely deserve to have words put in our mouths . "
Lo and behold, Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolisis facing more controversy.
The writer and director has beenattemptingto make the sci-fi movie for 40 years, described as a “Roman epic set in modern America.” He even forked out $120m of his own money tofundthe film, which starsAdam Driver,Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel,Shia LaBeouf,Jon Voight,Laurence Fishburne, and Aubrey Plaza.
Videos haveemergedthat corroborate reports that Francis “tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” while filming one scene. Furtherreportsof erratic and unprofessional behavior on set have been rife, with the majority of thevisual effectsteam being fired halfway during its shoot — which one source called “absolute madness.”
Then there’s the fact that Shia LaBeouf wascastin the movie in 2022, well after he wassuedby FKA Twigs for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. His characterhassex scenes in the movie.
Initial reviews for the movie have been mixed, as it currently has 53% onRotten Tomatoes. As one reviewer for theBBCput it, “It’s certainly loopy enough to build a cult following. But this pretentious, portentous curio will test the patience of everyone else. It’s like listening to someone tell you about the crazy dream they had last night — and they don’t stop talking for well over two hours.”
If that wasn’t enough, the first official trailer forMegalopolishas had to be pulled. Why? Because it began with a series of negative quotes about Francis’s iconic movies, such as one callingThe Godfather"a sloppy self-indulgent movie."
The implication of putting these quotes before we even see any actors is clear: that negative reviews ofMegalopoliswill similarly age poorly.
There’s just one problem: None of those quotes are real! As Vulture reported and Varietyverified, none of those phrases can be found in the versions of those reviews available online. As Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who was incorrectly cited as having calledBram Stoker’s Draculaa “beautiful mess,” said, “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths.”
Subsequently, the trailer was pulled. “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer forMegalopolis,” a spokesperson said, according toVariety. “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.”
Some havespeculatedthat the fake quotes happened from using AI to get negative pull quotes, though Lionsgate would not comment on whether this was the case.
If someone wants to fund my movie about millionaire men with unchecked power, I’m right here.
