LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� has sued Variety, saying that a July story that said he ran an unprofessional set with impunity and touching and tried to kiss female extras during the production of his film was false and libelous.
The suit, which seeks at least $15 million from the entertainment trade publication, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, two weeks before the director's long-dreamed-of and self-financed epic is in U.S. theaters.
The suit calls the 85-year-old director of 鈥淭he Godfather鈥� and 鈥淎pocalypse Now鈥� a 鈥渃reative genius鈥� and says others are 鈥渏ealous鈥� and therefore tell 鈥渒nowing and reckless falsehoods.鈥�
It says Variety's 鈥渨riters 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, of setting up some type of scheme so that anyone on the set who had a complaint of harassment or otherwise had nowhere to lodge a complaint, and of hugging topless actresses on the set. Each of these accusations was false."
The lawsuit also names the story's reporters, Brent Lang and Tatiana Siegel, as defendants.
It repeatedly says Variety was either knowingly publicizing falsehoods or showing reckless disregard for the truth, echoing a standard for libel established by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A Variety spokesperson, Jeffrey Schneider, told The Associated Press, "While we will not comment on active litigation, we stand by our reporters.鈥�
Coppola said in a statement Thursday that nothing in his career compares to the difficult yet triumphant efforts to make 鈥淢egalopolis.鈥�
鈥淚t 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,鈥� Coppola said. 鈥淭o see our collective efforts tainted by false, reckless and irresponsible reporting is devastating.鈥�
The used anonymous reports and videos from crew members of the shooting for 鈥淢别驳补濒辞辫辞濒颈蝉鈥� of a nightclub scene in an Atlanta concert hall in February, 2023. The story said Coppola tried to kiss young female extras and 鈥渁ppeared to act with impunity鈥� on the set. It said the film's financial arrangements meant 鈥渢here were none of the traditional checks and balances in place.鈥�
In one video, Coppola, wearing a white suit, walks through a dancing crowd, stopping to apparently lean in to several young women to hug them, kiss them on the cheek or whisper to them. Another video shows him leaning into a woman who pulls away and shakes her head.
All of the women have tops on, and the Variety story mentions 鈥渢opless鈥� extras only in reference to an original report on the allegations in the Guardian.
In a subsequent story about a week later, which is mentioned only parenthetically in Coppola's lawsuit, one of the women, Lauren Pagone, and agreed to be identified, saying Coppola left her 鈥渋n shock鈥� when he touched, hugged and kissed her without her consent.
Pagone said she came forward because another of the extras, Rayna Menz, said in Variety's sister publication that Coppola did nothing to make her or anyone else on the set uncomfortable.
Pagone also filed a lawsuit Monday against Coppola in Georgia, alleging that her treatment on the set amounted to civil assault and civil battery.
Asked for a specific response to that lawsuit, a Coppola representative said there would be no immediate comment beyond the director's broader statement.
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Pagone has.
Asked about the touching and kissing allegations by The AP before the lawsuit was filed, Coppola said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even want to (talk about it). It鈥檚 a waste of time.鈥�
Later in the same interview, without being asked about the subject again, Coppola said 鈥淚鈥檓 very respectful of women. I always have been. My mother taught me 鈥� she was a little nuts 鈥� she said, 鈥楩rancis if you ever make a pass at a girl, that means you disrespect her.鈥� So I never did.鈥�
The lawsuit takes particular issue with an assertion in the Variety story that Coppola inadvertently got into a shot and ruined it. The suit says Coppola was well aware that some camera angles would include him, and that he was supposed to appear in the scene anyway.
鈥淭he average reader would understand that Coppola was so aged and infirm that he no longer knew how to direct a motion picture,鈥� the suit says.
鈥淢别驳补濒辞辫辞濒颈蝉鈥� is a Roman epic set in a futuristic New York starring Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel. Coppola sold off pieces of his considerable wine empire to largely finance it himself.
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AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
