Francis Ford Coppola sues Variety over article about his 'unprofessional behavior'

The controversies for Francis Ford Coppola's decades-long passion project "Megalopolis" continue to mount as the director takes legal action against a media outlet that reported on his alleged misconduct on the set of the film.

On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning filmmaker sued Variety and its executive editors who authored the piece in Los Angeles Superior Court for defamation, according to court records reviewed by USA TODAY Thursday.

On July 6, Variety published a story containing two videos provided by a crewmember that allegedly shows Coppola, 85, "trying to kiss young female extras on the set of his ambitious sci-fi epic." The trade publication reported that sources claimed the production of Coppola's Roman Empire epic did not have safeguards in place to report such inappropriate behavior.

Coppola has denied accusations of misconduct and requests $15 million in damages as well as a jury trial.

"While we will not comment on active litigation, we stand by our reporters," a spokesperson for Variety's publisher, Penske Media Corporation, said in a statement to USA TODAY Thursday.

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USA TODAY has reached out to attorneys for Coppola for comment.

Francis Ford Coppola slams 'false, reckless and irresponsible reporting'

The complaint states Coppola is a "creative genius," and "Some people are jealous and resentful of genius. Those people therefore denigrate and tell knowing and reckless falsehoods about those of whom they are jealous.”

The "false and defamatory statements" made against Coppola in Variety's article "were made to harm Coppola’s reputation and cause him severe emotional distress," the lawsuit claims. "That harm has been caused."

Coppola's lawsuit took umbrage with Variety relying on anonymous on-set sources his lawyers call "unreliable" because they broke their signed nondisclosure agreement by sharing confidential information about the "Megalopolis" production.

"Defendants relied on these supposed sources and, by doing so, acted with reckless disregard for whether the sources, this time, were telling the truth or not," the suit reads.

The filing also denied the claim that "Megalopolis" did not have "checks in balances" in place for sexual harassment allegations.

"Nothing in my 60+ years career can equal the painstakingly difficult, yet artistically triumphant journey of bringing Megalopolis to 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," Coppola said in a statement shared with People magazine.

"To see our collective efforts tainted by false, reckless and irresponsible reporting is devastating. No publication, especially a legacy industry outlet, should be enabled to use surreptitious video and unnamed sources in pursuit of their own financial gain," his statement continued.

"While I have no intention of litigating this in the media, I will vigorously defend my reputation and have trust in the courts to hold them accountable."

'Megalopolis' controversy explained:What the movie's about, its reviews and why the trailer was removed

The Guardian also published allegations against Francis Ford Coppola

Variety's reporting came out a month after The Guardian published an article in which several anonymous crew members described Coppola as having "old school" behavior around women on the set.

Sources told The Guardian that Coppola "allegedly pulled women to sit on his lap, for example" and tried to kiss some of the topless female extras while filming a bacchanalian nightclub scene. One source said the director claimed he was "trying to get them in the mood."

Critics are torn:Is Coppola's $120M 'Megalopolis' 'bafflingly shallow' or 'remarkably sincere?'

"Megalopolis" executive co-producer Darren Demetre defended Coppola and told The Guardian, "There were two days when we shot a celebratory Studio 54-esque club scene where Francis walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players."

Demetre added: "It was his way to help inspire and establish the club atmosphere, which was so important to the film. I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behavior during the course of the project."

The film also stirred controversy when its 2½-minute trailer was pulled soon after its release last month after social media users pointed out film reviews included in the clip contained fake quotes.

"Megalopolis," a Roman Empire-inspired tale, took Coppola four decades to bring to the screen. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel Jason Schwartzman and Kathryn Hunter.

"Megalopolis" releases Sept. 23 in IMAX and Sept. 27 in other theaters.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe