The "Megalopolis" Dumpster Fire Is The Movie Drama We Need To Be Talking About
Lo and behold, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is facing more controversy.
The writer and director has been attempting to 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 to fund the film, which stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, and Aubrey Plaza.
Videos have emerged that corroborate reports that Francis “tried to kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras” while filming one scene. Further reports of erratic and unprofessional behavior on set have been rife, with the majority of the visual effects team being fired halfway during its shoot — which one source called "absolute madness."
Then there's the fact that Shia LaBeouf was cast in the movie in 2022, well after he was sued by FKA Twigs for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. His character has sex scenes in the movie.
Initial reviews for the movie have been mixed, as it currently has 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. As one reviewer for the BBC put 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 for Megalopolis has had to be pulled. Why? Because it began with a series of negative quotes about Francis's iconic movies, such as one calling The Godfather "a sloppy self-indulgent movie."
The implication of putting these quotes before we even see any actors is clear: that negative reviews of Megalopolis will similarly age poorly.
There's just one problem: None of those quotes are real! As Vulture reported and Variety verified, 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 called Bram Stoker’s Dracula a "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."
"Then again, the trivial scandal of all this is that the whole Megalopolis trailer is built on a false narrative,” he continued. “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.”
Subsequently, the trailer was pulled. “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” a spokesperson said, according 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.”
Some have speculated that 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.
