Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded epic ‘Megalopolis’ has terminated contract with major marketing consultant Eddie Egan, after misleading quotes from a recent trailer were fabricated.

On Wednesday morning, Lionsgate released its second trailer for the Cannes premiering ‘Megalopolis,’ which featured a plethora of past “criticisms” against Coppola’s now-iconic filmography (i.e. The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), all in which have been proven false.

The motive behind Egan’s tactics might have come after ‘Megalopolis’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to jeers and audience-members walking out, with some even deeming the film “unwatchable.” This is ironic, considering legendary films (of Coppola’s) like ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ were met with similar rebuttals.

After an investigation, the quotes were confirmed to be generated by AI, all under superiority of Egan. There was reportedly “no intent” to harm Lionsgate or the film, nor was it a marketing ploy agreed by all parties involved.

Egan has been removed from Lionsgate’s ‘Megalopolis’ marketing campaign and there is no word if the consultant will return to the studio for future work.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” said a Lionsgate spokesperson. “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.”

This is one of many controversies surrounding the film. More recently, a behind the scenes video shows director Francis Ford Coppola non-consensually kissing female extras on-set during a party sequence to “get them in the mood.”

‘Megalopolis’ hits theatres September 27, 2024, after another premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

‘Megalopolis’ synopsis: An accident destroys a decaying metropolis called New Rome. Cesar Catilina, an idealist architect with the power to control time, aims to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia, while his opposition, corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo. Torn between them is Franklyn's socialite daughter, Julia, who, tired of the influence she inherited, searches for her life's meaning.

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