Francis & The Godfather - HBO Developing Film About the Making of The Godfather

[Walts Ghost]

HBO Developing ‘Godfather’ Behind-the-Scenes Movie From Black List Script (EXCLUSIVE)

HBO Films is developing “Francis & the Godfather,” a scripted movie that chronicles the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 feature adaptation of the novel by Mario Puzo. The script hails from screenwriter Andrew Farotte, who is revising his original screenplay that appeared on the 2015 Black List.

Mike Marcus, Doug Mankoff, and Andrew Spaulding will serve as executive producers on the film. Peter Bart, who as an executive at Paramount first optioned Puzo’s novel and worked closely with Robert Evans and Coppola, will serve as a consultant. Echo Lake Entertainment is producing.

“Francis & the Godfather” tells the behind-the-scenes story of the film’s creation, from Coppola joining the project to the casting of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando to dealings with the real-life New York mafia. The project is part of an ongoing push into television by Echo Lake, which in 2014 brought in former A&E executive Chris Davis to head TV development.

Released in 1972, “The Godfather” is largely regarded as one of the greatest feature films in American history. In 1973, the film won Academy Awards for best picture, for best actor (Brando), and for adapted screenplay (Puzo and Coppola).

In a 1972 review for Variety, A.D. Murphy hailed “The Godfather” as a breakout for Pacino, writing, “It is Pacino, last seen (by too few) in ‘Panic In Needle Park,’ who makes the smash impression here. Initially seen as the son whom Brando wanted to go more or less straight (while son James Caan was to become part of the organization), Pacino matures under the trauma of an assassination attempt on Brando, his own double-murder revenge for that on corrupt cop Sterling Hayden and rival gangster Al Lettieri, the counter-vengeance murder of his Sicilian bride, and a series of other personnel readjustments which at fadeout find him king of his own mob.”

[IndyMLVC]

So...this is what we're getting instead of a proper making-of? ecchh...

And don't tell me The Godfather Family: A Look Inside was good enough. It wasn't.

[jabbercash]

It seems like Apocalypse Now would be the more interesting subject to make a film about.

[bootsy]

Originally Posted by jabbercash

It seems like Apocalypse Now would be the more interesting subject to make a film about.

Agreed being that it is my favorite movie ever but we kind of got it with Hearts of Darkness I guess.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by bootsy

Agreed being that it is my favorite movie ever but we kind of got it with Hearts of Darkness I guess.

Basically...yeah.

Hard to imagine a better exploration of the director's journey on a film than that.

...though I suppose a fictional version could explore it in a different way.

[imsounoriginal]

Yeah I dunno how anything could top Hearts of Darkness.

This one should be interesting, though. I'm curious to see who they cast to fill these iconic roles (Brando, Pacino, Duvall, Caan, all in their Godfather days? That should be good.)

[BluBonnet]

Is this ever going to get made?

[HAL237]

Darn, I saw the thread title and thought this was recent news.

[Cremildo]

Dang, I'd be down for that.

[Himmel]

Barry Levinson Taps Oscar Isaac To Play Francis Coppola & Jake Gyllenhaal As Robert Evans

[CyberpunkCentral]

Makes sense considering Han and Poe are Star Wars characters.

[Cremildo]

Nice to see Levinson helming interesting projects again.

[Koller70]

Is this a TV movie since it's HBO??

Anyway I want to see:

Tom Hardy as Marlon Brando
Timothee Chalamet as Young Al Pacino

[Rizor]

Levinson is directing this? He outta bring on Al Pacino to continue their HBO docudramas. Maybe he can play John Marley playing Jack Woltz? Imagine seeing Pacino reenact the famous horse head scene!

I like Oscar Isaac, but maybe they should cast an Italian-American actor to play Coppola. It was after all very important Paramount hired an Italian-American director to helm The Godfather.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

Nice to see Levinson helming interesting projects again.

I found Paterno interesting, and Wizard Of Lies.

[Elgie]

Aw, c’mon, how is Isaac not playing Pacino?

P.S. Jason Schwartzman as John Cazale

[CyberpunkCentral]

Wonder who is playing George Lucas.

[Cremildo]

Elisabeth Moss to Play Eleanor Coppola

[Himmel]

Elle Fanning to Play Ali MacGraw