Francis Ford Coppola’s Legal Battle with Variety Over ‘Megalopolis’

With less than three weeks to go before the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s highly anticipated film, ‘Megalopolis’, the legendary director has taken legal action against Variety. He alleges that an article published on July 26 slandered him by describing his on-set behavior as “unprofessional.” The article further claimed that Coppola, an Academy Award recipient, inappropriately embraced and kissed female extras during a party scene in the film.

The Libel Lawsuit

Coppola, 85, is seeking $15 million in damages, along with additional punitive and exemplary damages from Variety Media LLC, and journalists Brent Lang and Tatiana Siegel. The lawsuit was filed in LA Superior Court on Tuesday, demanding a jury trial.

Counter Lawsuit

Interestingly, just two days prior to Coppola’s lawsuit, an extra from ‘Megalopolis’, Lauren Pagone, who was quoted in a follow-up Variety article on August 2 discussing Coppola’s alleged actions, filed her own lawsuit. Pagone is suing the director and others in Georgia for civil battery, civil assault, and negligent failure to prevent sexual harassment.

The Allegations

Despite the timing, Coppola’s eight-page lawsuit does not mention Pagone’s lawsuit, or the Variety article in which she was interviewed. Instead, it focuses on the alleged damage caused to Coppola by the “false and defamatory statements” made in the July 26 Variety article, the video accompanying the story, and the alleged “malice” demonstrated by the publication towards him.

The Defense

Coppola’s legal team, Sauer & Wagner, opened their filing with a strong defense of Coppola’s reputation. They argue that some people are naturally creative, but very few are creative geniuses like Coppola. They suggest that Variety, its writers, and editors, are jealous of Coppola’s genius and therefore spread false and damaging information about him. They claim that the allegations of incompetence, unprofessional behavior, and inappropriate behavior towards actresses on the set of ‘Megalopolis’ were not only false but were also designed to harm Coppola’s reputation and cause him severe emotional distress.

Claims of Anonymous Sources

The lawsuit further alleges that Variety’s claims of having anonymous sources for the defamatory statements in the article are questionable. It points out that all cast and crew members on ‘Megalopolis’ signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) promising to keep any information about the film and its production confidential. The lawsuit argues that Variety knowingly relied on unreliable sources who had breached their NDAs, thereby acting with reckless disregard for the truth.

Support for Coppola

On July 30, four days after Variety’s original article, Deadline published an article featuring another extra from the movie, Rayna Menz. Menz refuted the claims that Coppola behaved inappropriately during production, stating that Coppola did nothing to make her or anyone on set feel uncomfortable. Menz, who was featured in the video accompanying the initial Variety article, also made similar remarks on social media.

Further Allegations

In an interview for a Variety story published on August 2, Pagone detailed her allegations about certain nightclub scenes on the Atlanta production of ‘Megalopolis’. She claimed she was shocked by the director’s alleged inappropriate physical contact with her on set. Pagone’s comments seem to support the details of the July 26 Variety story, as well as a similar article by UK broadsheet The Guardian back in May. However, these allegations are not mentioned in Coppola’s lawsuit.

Pagone’s Lawsuit

Pagone’s lawsuit, filed on September 10, seeks unspecified damages and a jury trial. She alleges that Coppola sexually assaulted her, claiming that she was shocked and confused by the director’s inappropriate physical contact during the shooting of a nightclub scene for the film on February 14, 2023.

Additional Defendants

Pagone’s lawsuit also names Rose Locke Casting and CL Casting as defendants. She alleges that she was not provided with any rider explaining the guidelines for sexual content and/or nudity on set, nor was there any description of what she or other actors would experience on set. She also criticizes the lack of Intimacy Coordinators on the ‘Megalopolis’ set.

Awaiting Response

As of now, Coppola’s lawyers have not responded to Deadline’s request for comment. The post will be updated when they do. The story will also be updated with a statement from Variety when available. It should be noted that Deadline and Variety share a parent company, Penske Media Corporation.

Release of ‘Megalopolis’

Despite the ongoing lawsuit, ‘Megalopolis’, distributed by Lionsgate, is scheduled to be released on September 27.

This post includes contributions from Nellie Andreeva.

FAQs

What is the lawsuit about?

Francis Ford Coppola is suing Variety for libel over an article that described his behavior on the set of ‘Megalopolis’ as “unprofessional.”

Who else is involved in the lawsuit?

Lauren Pagone, an extra from ‘Megalopolis’, has also filed a lawsuit against Coppola and others for civil battery, civil assault, and negligent failure to prevent sexual harassment.

What is Coppola’s defense?

Coppola’s legal team argues that the allegations are false and were designed to harm Coppola’s reputation and cause him severe emotional distress.

When is ‘Megalopolis’ scheduled to be released?

‘Megalopolis’ is set to be released on September 27.

Credit: deadline.com