The person behind the recently-pulled Megalopolis trailer has been let go, reported Deadline.
It turns out that those controversial fake review quotes in the Megalopolis trailer, which was swiftly pulled last week, were the result of AI-generated content. The fallout from this blunder has led to the removal of Eddie Egan, the individual responsible for the trailer’s marketing materials, from the movie’s marketing team.
This revelation comes from a report by Deadline on Friday, which confirmed that an internal investigation had traced the misleading quotes back to AI. According to the report, neither Egan nor Lionsgate, the studio behind Megalopolis, had any intention of fabricating the quotes, which were falsely presented as critiques of director Francis Ford Coppola’s earlier works.
Among the bogus quotes, one alleged that critics had labeled The Godfather as a “sloppy, self-indulgent movie,” while another claimed Apocalypse Now was dismissed as “an epic piece of trash.” However, as Vulture first uncovered, the actual reviews attributed to these quotes were not only positive but often highly praised Coppola’s iconic films.
The incident sheds light on the increasing risks associated with AI’s use in content creation. AI’s ability to confidently produce falsehoods is a well-known issue, even among those who develop and deploy these technologies. This has led to a string of high-profile blunders, including the infamous case where former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s attorney submitted legal documents referencing entirely fictitious court cases. Similarly, lawyers for a Colombian airline and even Fugees rapper Pras Michél have suffered from AI-generated errors, with the latter losing a federal conspiracy case after his lawyer presented an AI-drafted closing argument.
The Megalopolis trailer debacle serves as a cautionary tale for the entertainment industry and beyond: while AI can be a powerful tool, its misuse—or over-reliance—can lead to serious credibility issues and unintended consequences. As AI technology continues to advance, the need for human oversight remains critical to ensure the accuracy and integrity of content, especially when it comes to something as high-stakes as a major film’s promotional campaign.
