Oscar IsaacandJake Gyllenhaalhave signed on to play directorFrancis Ford Coppolaand former Paramount executiveRobert Evansin the indie dramaFrancis and The Godfather, which will chronicle the legendary making of the classic 1972 mob movie.
Barry Levinsonwill direct from a Black List script byAndrew Farottethat was redeveloped by Levinson. Echo Lake Entertainment’sMike Marcus,Doug MankoffandAndrew Spauldingwill produce withKevin Turen,Jon Levinand Baltimore Pictures’Jason Sosnoff. Endeavor Content is handling worldwide rights with FilmNation.
The making ofThe Godfatherwas famously chaotic, as there were epic behind-the-scenes battles between Coppola and the studio on everything from shooting locations to casting, as it was expensive to film in New York, andMarlon Brandohadn’t been in a hit for years. A hit is precisely what Paramount was in desperate need of back then, and the real Mafia wasn’t exactly excited to seeMario Puzo’s bestselling novel brought to the big screen. Of course, the 31-year-old Coppola had his own vision for the movie and didn’t like to compromise.
Levinson will now be faced with the task of finding actors to playGodfathercast members Brando,Al Pacino,Robert Duvall,James Caan,John Cazale,Talia ShireandDiane Keaton, as well as producerAlbert S. Ruddyand Evans' right-hand man at Paramount,Peter Bart.
The Godfatherwent on to win Best Picture, Best Actor for Brando and Best Adapted Screenplay. Coppola was also nominated for an Oscar along with Pacino, Caan, Duvall, composerNino Rotaand costumer designerAnna Hill Johnstone, in addition to the film’s editors and its sound team.
Deadlinebroke the latest news onFrancis and The Godfather, reporting that Coppola himself has given his approval to both the project and the casting. The filmmaker is currently working on a new cut ofThe Godfather Part III.
“Here was a young man who lived outside the system and every step of the way the system was telling him, ‘You can’t do that.’ But Francis never gave up on his vision and the result speaks for itself, producer Mike Marcus told Deadline.
Hollywood seems keen at the moment to revisit the glory days of the ’70s, asBen Affleckis developingThe Big Goodbye, a movie about the making ofChinatown, which is another Paramount title. For more on that project,click here.
