Yesterday I posted the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s movie, “Megalopolis.”
The trailer opened with quotes from famous reviewers panning “The Godfather.” It was supposed to show that reviewers don’t understand masterpieces when they see them.
It seemed odd, if clever, but there it was. Until Vulture’s Bilge Eibiri went back and looked up the quotes. They were fabricated. They never happened.
Lions Gate immediately pulled the trailer. A Lionsgate spokesperson said in a statement: “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.”
When I heard this, I thought maybe someone had hacked the trailer. But it turns out it was whoever made the trailer, they thought this was a good idea. Either way, it wasn’t. Coppola must be furious. This movie has already had enough trouble.
‘Megalopolis” opens September 27th with or without a trailer. It does have a poster, of Adam Driver holding either a lamp or a light saber.