Fake Film Critic Quotes in ‘Megalopolis’ Trailer Likely AI, Studio Cuts Ties

We have our first casualty of the controversy over the use of fake film critic quotes in the first trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”—ones that appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence.

In the wake of this scandal, it has been reported that Lionsgate has cut ties with Eddie Egan, a veteran marketing consultant. The fake quotes were most likely created by an AI chatbot like ChatGPT. Interestingly, Variety prompted ChatGPT to provide negative review quotes for Coppola’s films like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” which appeared strikingly similar to those in the trailer. This was further echoed by Puck’s Matt Belloni, who also reported the termination of Egan’s association with Lionsgate.

However, according to a source, neither Egan nor Lionsgate intended to fabricate quotes. The original quotes were not properly fact-checked or vetted. The campaign’s objective was to illustrate how Coppola’s films have often been misunderstood and “ahead of their time,” even considering his ’70s masterpieces. “Megalopolis” currently has a mixed score of 59 out of 100 on Metacritic, with some critics loving it and others disliking it. The campaign, therefore, appeared to lean into this divided reception.

Attempts to reach Egan for comment by IndieWire went unanswered, and a representative for Lionsgate declined to comment as well.

Upon discovering that quotes attributed to legendary film critics such as Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, and Andrew Sarris, which criticized classics like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” were fabricated, Lionsgate pulled the trailer for Coppola’s new film. Notably, many of these critics were actually fans of some of Coppola’s acclaimed movies.

Following the trailer’s removal, Lionsgate issued an apology to Coppola, admitting their mistake. “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,” a spokesperson stated.

Egan, who has a lengthy career in film marketing, spent 19 years at Universal and also worked at Illumination and STXfilms. Recently, he has been working as an independent consultant, participating in campaigns for films such as “Into the Woods,” “Bridge of Spies,” and “The Edge of Seventeen.”

Lionsgate is managing the distribution of “Megalopolis” in the U.S. and has planned a theatrical and IMAX release for September 27. However, Coppola himself is handling the cost of the marketing and has brought in Utopia, run by his nephew Robert Schwartzman, to provide “alternative marketing services” for the film.

Source: Variety, IndieWire, Puck