Why Francis Ford Coppola sued 'Variety'
Acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has filed a defamation lawsuit against Variety Media LLC and journalists Brent Lang and Tatiana Siegel, seeking $15M in damages. The lawsuit pertains to a July 26 article published by Variety that accused Coppola of "unprofessional" behavior on the set of his upcoming film, Megalopolis. The 85-year-old director has denied the allegations and claimed they were made to harm his reputation.
Coppola's lawsuit alleges 'false and defamatory statements'
Coppola's lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that the Variety article contained "false and defamatory statements" that caused him "severe emotional distress." The suit also claims that Variety acted with "malice" toward Coppola. The complaint does not mention a separate lawsuit filed by Megalopolis extra Lauren Pagone in Georgia, accusing Coppola of civil battery, civil assault, and negligent failure to prevent sexual harassment.
'Variety's accusations false and knowingly so'
"Some people are creative. Very few people are creative geniuses. In the world of motion pictures, Plaintiff Francis Ford Coppola ("Coppola") is a creative genius," the lawsuit states. "Variety, its writers and editors, hiding behind supposedly anonymous sources, accused Coppola of manifest incompetence as a motion picture director, of unprofessional behavior on the set of his most recent production, Megalopolis... Each of these accusations was false and knowingly so."
'Variety's sources unreliable; didn't tell truth when signing NDA'
The lawsuit further states, "Defendants knew that all cast and crew members on Megalopolis signed an NDA in which they promised to keep confidential any information about Megalopolis and its production (among other things)." It adds that Variety's sources were unreliable.
'Megalopolis' extra had detailed Coppola's alleged misconduct in 'Variety' interview
In a Variety article published on August 2, Megalopolis extra Pagone had detailed her allegations of sexual harassment against Coppola. She claimed that the director hugged and kissed her without her consent during the filming of certain nightclub scenes. Pagone's comments echoed the details of Variety's July 26 article, which accused Coppola of unprofessional behavior on set, including hugging topless female actors.
Pagone's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, jury trial
Pagone has also filed a civil lawsuit against Coppola in the Fulton County Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial. The suit alleges that she was sexually assaulted by the director during the filming of a nightclub scene for Megalopolis on February 14, 2023. Pagone claims she was "shocked and confused" by Coppola's actions, which included touching her buttocks without her consent.
'Megalopolis' set lacked intimacy coordinators, claims Pagone's lawsuit
Pagone's lawsuit also names Rose Locke Casting and CL Casting as defendants, alleging that she was not provided with any rider detailing sexual content and/or nudity guidelines on set. She further claimed that there were no intimacy coordinators present during the scenes in question.
