Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal are set to star in a new film based on the making of the 1972 gangster epic “The Godfather.”
Isaac will play director Francis Ford Coppola and Gyllenhaal will play Paramount head and mega producer Robert Evans. The film, titled “Francis and The Godfather,” dives into the decisions and drama behind making what is undoubtedly one of the greatest movies ever made.
Among the challenges faced by the filmmakers was the decision to cast an increasingly unpredictable, stubborn, and unreliable Marlon Brando as Don Corleone. There was also the sticking point of casting Al Pacino as Michael, who at the time was virtually unknown, having only starred in “The Panic in Needle Park” a year prior. Add to that cost overruns and real-life confrontations with the actual mafia, and the drama surrounding the story practically writes itself.
The end result is what many consider to be the finest film ever made, one that earned three Academy Awards, including for Best Picture.
“Out of the madness of production, and against all odds, a classic film happened,” director Barry Levinson said in a statement.
“Any movie that Barry Levinson makes about anything, will be interesting and worthwhile,” Coppola himself added.
“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,” Echo Lake Entertainment producer Mike Marcus said in a statement.
