Gucci family denounces Ridley Scott's 'House of Gucci' as 'stealing family identity'

The real Gucci family, however, is not impressed.

"We are truly disappointed," Patrizia Gucci, the second cousin to the late Maurizio Gucci, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I speak on behalf of the family. They are stealing the identity of a family to make a profit, to increase the income of the Hollywood system. ... Our family has an identity, privacy. We can talk about everything. but there is a borderline that cannot be crossed."

The AP's Colleen Barry added: 

"Patrizia Gucci said she reached out to Ridley Scott’s wife, Giannina Facio, for clarification on the scope of the film, but has not received any reply. Facio met with members of the Gucci family in the early 2000s to discuss another project that was to have focused on the roles of Patrizia Gucci’s father, Paolo, and grandfather, Aldo, in expanding the brand into a global luxury player. The fact that the production company did not reach out for the new film only heightens the family’s concerns, she said."

The Scott-directed film is an adaptation of Sara Gay Forden's 2000 book House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The premise is anchored by Patrizia Reggiani's murder-for-hire plot that killed Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of fashion designer Guccio Gucci. 

Reggiani, who served 16 years for the crime, is portrayed by Gaga, and Maurizio Gucci is portrayed by Driver. Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Salma Hayek, Jeremy Irons and Jack Huston are also set to star.

Patrizia Gucci additionally expressed dissatisfaction over some of these casting choices: "My grandfather was a very handsome man, like all the Guccis, and very tall, blue eyes and very elegant. He is being played by Al Pacino, who is not very tall already, and this photo shows him as fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly. Shameful, because he doesn’t resemble him at all."

Leto virtually joined The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in mid-March from Lake Como, Italy, and addressed his unrecognizable role as Paulo Gucci (5:35-mark):

The House of Gucci is due out Nov. 24, 2021.