Famed film director Francis Ford Coppola has reportedly filed a $15 million lawsuit against Variety, which published an article alleging inappropriate behavior on the set of the film “Megalopolis.”

Coppola filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, naming Variety magazine and its editors-in-chief Tatiana Siegel and Brent Lang as defendants. peopleThe media outlet obtained and reviewed the lawsuit documents.

The Variety article in question was published on July 26th and was still in print at the time of writing. In the article, Variety accused Coppola of inappropriate behavior with female extras. According to People magazine, the lawsuit states that Coppola “presented to Variety evidence that the allegations are false and requested that Coppola retract the allegations. Variety refused and instead took an even more aggressive stance.”

According to People, Coppola's lawsuit also revealed his grievances against Variety, which “repeated the same allegations and emphasized its ill will toward Mr. Coppola,” the documents reportedly alleged.

“Mr. Coppola has filed this lawsuit in order to clear his name and obtain public acknowledgment that Variety's allegations are false,” People wrote in the filing.

The 85-year-old Hollywood mogul reportedly claimed that Variety knew the accusations against him were “false” and, according to People, that the allegations were intended to “tear up Mr. Coppola's reputation and inflict severe emotional distress on him.”

Coppola reportedly claims “harm has been caused” and is seeking a jury trial.

A representative for Coppola released a statement to the outlet on Wednesday night.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Director Francis Ford Coppola attends the LA Premiere of Lionsgate's Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome on August 12, 2019. (Photo by Axel/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) Getty Images

“In my 60-plus year career, nothing has compared to the journey of arduous hardship and artistic triumph of bringing Megalopolis to the screen — a collaboration between hundreds of artists, from extras to box-office stars, for whom I have always had the utmost respect and deepest gratitude,” the statement said, according to People magazine.

“It is heartbreaking to see our collective efforts tarnished by false, reckless and irresponsible reporting,” the report added.

“No publication, especially an established industry outlet, should be allowed to exploit undercover video and anonymous sources for their own financial gain,” a representative for Coppola said in a statement, according to People magazine.

TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 09, 2024: Director Francis Ford Coppola attends the premiere screening of Megalopolis at TIFF at Roy Thomson Hall on September 9, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Robert Okin/Getty Images via Lionsgate)

Variety cited anonymous sources in their article, who said Coppola tried to kiss a female extra during a nightclub scene. The paper also quoted a source as saying the director took a microphone and told other cast members, “I'm sorry if I come up to you and kiss you, but just know that it's only for my pleasure.”

The lawsuit also reportedly included a video from Variety, which People reports also included background actress Raina Menz, who took to Instagram to completely deny the allegations against Coppola.

“He was a professional, a gentleman and seemed like a cute Italian grandpa running around the set,” Menz said. said Deadline, a sister publication of Variety magazine.

This story continues to unfold.