‘We screwed up’: Lionsgate drops new ‘Megalopolis’ trailer after the one with fake quotes

'We screwed up': Lionsgate drops new 'Megalopolis' trailer after the one with fake quotes

As a seasoned cinephile with over three decades of movie-going experience under my belt, I must say that the latest turn of events surrounding “Megalopolis” has left me both amused and slightly bewildered. The incident involving the recalled trailer, complete with fabricated quotes from esteemed film critics, is a spectacle that I’ve not seen since the days of Orson Welles and the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast.


The city known as “Megalopolis” has released a new trailer, following the recall of the previous one due to an enormous blunder.

Last month, Lionsgate unveiled the initial trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming sci-fi masterpiece. However, within just a few hours of its release, the company withdrew the video when it was discovered that it contained fabricated reviews from genuine film critics. The company has since expressed regret for the error in judgement.

Lionsgate is pulling their trailer right away, as stated today. We deeply apologize to the critics and Francis Ford Coppola, along with American Zoetrope, for the unforgivable mistake in our review process. We made a blunder, and we’re truly sorry.

According to Variety’s reports, the production company severed connections with Eddie Egan, the marketing consultant responsible for the trailer that was later recalled. Sources indicated to the outlet that the quotes were not intentionally falsified; instead, there was a mistake in the review and verification process.

As a movie enthusiast, I must admit, the origin of these seemingly authentic movie lines leaves me puzzled. Some netizens have hypothesized that artificial intelligence might be behind it all, so they’ve been experimenting by feeding prompts to models like ChatGPT in search of matching responses. The New York Times has reported on this intriguing development.

Lionsgate has not commented on whether ChatGPT or other AI tools were used for the trailer.

The recently unveiled trailer (on Thursday) shares a lot of footage similar to the initial one. Moreover, Laurence Fishburne, the lead actor, praises the film’s director: “One filmmaker has consistently been ahead of his time. Now, from the visionary writer and director Francis Ford Coppola comes an experience unlike any other.

Besides Fishburne, the movie also features Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, and Grace VanderWaal as its stars.

Titled “Megalopolis,” this Roman-inspired modern allegory, initially showcased at Cannes in May, will be available for viewing in theaters starting September 27.

Read More

2024-09-07 14:08

Previous post Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan pregnant with first child as she debuts baby bump
Next post Coleen Nolan is forced to hit back at fan claims she ‘left out’ co-stars from her Loose Women 25th anniversary tribute