PETALING JAYA, Sept 8 — Harry Styles appears to have extended the "spit-gate” drama surrounding his new film Don’t Worry Darling.

At his latest concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, United States (US) yesterday, the popstar made a tongue-in-cheek reference to claims that he had spat on co-star Chris Pine during the film’s premiere earlier this week.

“It’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to be back in New York,” says Styles jokingly in a clip captured by a fan.

“I just popped very quickly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine,” he continues, to uproarious cheers from the crowd.

Directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Styles, Pine, and Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling has been embroiled in a series of controversies.

Among the drama that unfolded during the film’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Monday (September 5) was social media speculation that Styles spat on Pine as he took a seat next to him during the screening.

The rumour appears to have begun with a single tweet, sending Twitter users on a frenzy of in-depth analyses to verify the claim.

While some users meticulously dissected the spitting claims, others turned the incident into memes.

For what it’s worth, Pine’s representatives have denied that the incident occurred in the first place.

“This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation,” Pine’s representatives said in a statement to Variety on Tuesday.

“There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist.”

Don’t Worry Darling is a romantic thriller set in the 1950s, and follows a young couple (Styles and Pugh) as they uncover a deadly secret about the suburb they live in.

The romantic thriller directed by Olivia Wilde takes place in the 1950s as a young couple living in a fictional suburban neighbourhood discover a deadly secret.

Discourse of the film has been primarily gossip regarding its director and stars, including rumours of a falling out between Wilde and Pugh.

Meanwhile, Styles was recruited for the film to replace Shia LaBeouf — who claimed he had quit the project despite Wilde’s assertions that she had fired him.

The film is expected to hit theatres on September 23.