Francis Ford Coppola Sues Variety for $15 Million Over Story About His Behavior onMegalopolisSet

Mar. 15, 2025

Director Francis Ford Coppola at the Taormina Film Festival in 2022.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli / Getty

Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli / Getty

In the suit, Coppola, 85, claims thatVarietyknew the allegations leveraged against him were “false” and they were made to “harm Coppola’s reputation and cause him severe emotional distress.” He further says “harm has been caused” and he is seeking no less than $15 million in damages and a jury trial.

On Wednesday night, a rep for Coppola issued the following statement on behalf of the director to PEOPLE.

“Nothing in my 60+ years career can equal the painstakingly difficult, yet artistically triumphant journey of bringingMegalopolisto the screen. It was a collaboration of hundreds of artists, from extras to box office stars, to whom I consistently displayed the utmost respect and my deepest gratitude," the statement read.

Reps for Variety and its parent company PMC did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The ‘Variety’ Los Angeles office in a photo taken in Feb. 2021.AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

TheVarietystory published in July, which is at the center of Coppola’s complaint, cited anonymous sources that claimed the director tried to kiss female extras in a nightclub scene that were “topless” or “scantily clad.” The source was also allegedly reported as claiming at one point after multiple takes, that Coppola grabbed a microphone and said out loud, “Sorry, if I come up to you and kiss you. Just know it’s solely for my pleasure.”

Background actress Rayna Menz, who appears in the footage, refuted the claims against Coppola in an Instagram message. Menz toldVariety’s sister publicationDeadlinethat the director “was nothing but professional, a gentleman, he was like this cute Italian grandfather, running around the set."

‘Megalopolis’ star Adam Driver, director Francis Ford Coppola, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito and DB Sweeney at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2024.Robert Okine/Getty

Robert Okine/Getty

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Megalopolisis a sci-fi epic that starsAdam Driver,Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito and DB Sweeney. The film screened on Sept. 9 at the Toronto International Film Festival with Coppola and the stars in attendance.

The film is set to be released on Sept. 27.

source: people.com