Megalopolis just can’t seem to catch a break, as the long-time passion project for filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has become the center of yet another unusual controversy, and this time, Lionsgate has stepped in to take swift action by taking down the recently released trailer for the controversial movie. Earlier today, a new trailer was released for the Adam Driver-led sci-fi film, which made the unique decision to include several negative reviews from recognizable outlets for Coppola‘s previous films, including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This is a likely dig at how early screenings of Megalopolis have led to some mixed and divisive opinions thus far.

There’s just one problem: The quotes that the new Megalopolis trailer uses are apparently entirely fake. These aren’t just any random critics either, as major names in the industry like Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert are among the misquoted film scholars. It’s truly a bizarre situation, as negative reviews for those otherwise acclaimed movies are easy to find and quote directly from.

In response to the growing criticism, Lionsgate took down the trailer and issued the following apology to the misquoted critics, Francis Ford Coppola, and Coppola‘s production company American Zoetrope:

“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.”

‘Megalopolis’ Has Become One of the Most Ambitious (and Controversial) Films of the Year

Francis Ford Coppola has been attempting to make Megalopolis for well-over a decade, with numerous actors attached to the film at various points. The film follows a brilliant if not arrogant architect named Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who hopes to dramatically remake the city of New York in his own image following an unprecedented disaster that affects it. After years in development hell, Megalopolis finally got off the ground and is set to be released later this year, but this was only the start of the ambitious project’s problems.

For starters, numerous allegations of workplace misconduct while making Megalopolis have surfaced, many of which are directed toward Francis Ford Coppola himself. Second, the film had a very mixed response during its premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival, with some critics praising it as a bold dream realized, while others chastise it as a self-fulfilling fever dream. Even Collider‘s own Chase Hutchinson wasn’t entirely sure what to make of Megalopolis after seeing it, calling the film “a meandering fable that plays more as a farce”. Don’t worry, that’s a real quote from Hutch‘s review of Megalopolis.

Megalopolis releases exclusively in theaters on September 27th, 2024.

via Collider