Lionsgate Parts Ways With Marketer Behind Fake Quotes Trailer
The faux negative reviews from film critics appeared to be AI-fabricated
By Kory Grow
Eddie Egan, a marketing consultant, lost his position with Lionsgate after the studio uncovered the use of fabricated quotes in a trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Megalopolis, as reported by Variety.
The teaser, which was recalled by Lionsgate, suggested that critics had historically disparaged Coppola’s works, prompting viewers to question their credibility. However, the quotes attributed to renowned critics, including one allegedly from Pauline Kael in The New Yorker, were never published. The alleged quote claimed that The Godfather was “diminished by its artsiness,” which is untrue.
According to a source familiar with the matter, it seems likely that Egan may have utilized artificial intelligence tools to generate the misleading information. Upon realizing the problem, the studio acted swiftly to rectify the situation and expressed deep regret.
Variety noted that a prompt to ChatGPT aimed at generating negative critiques of Coppola returned similar statements, despite the fact that Kael praised The Godfather.
Egan, who has been an independent contractor since his departure from the STX film group in 2019, had previously worked closely with Adam Fogelson, now the Lionsgate film group chairperson.
In a statement, Lionsgate said, “We are immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis. We sincerely apologize to the critics involved, Francis Ford Coppola, and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We messed up, and we are sorry.”
Coppola’s film, a Roman epic featuring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel, is scheduled for release on September 27.
Trending
The controversy surrounding the trailer has caused quite a stir, and it seems to reflect broader issues in film marketing and authenticity.
David Fear, Rolling Stone’s film critic, praised Megalopolis upon its debut at Cannes, saying:
“Say what you will about this grand gesture at filtering Edward Gibbon’s history lessons through a lens darkly, it is exactly the movie that Coppola set out to make — uncompromising, uniquely intellectual, unabashedly romantic, broadly satirical yet remarkably sincere about wanting not just brave new worlds but better ones. Does it sometimes feel as if it’s distilling decades of book-club readings into a tightly packed two hours? Yes. Was it worth the wait? Dear god, yes.”
For further insights on the situation and the film community’s response, stay tuned as more details emerge.
