The Godfather: Part III (1990) will perhaps always be remembered as the “good, but not great” ending to the trilogy. The film followed the attempts of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) to legitimize the family businesses, while a new generation of gangsters emerged, led by Vincent (Andy Garcia), Sonny’s son (James Canaan). There was a time, however, when the 1990 film was hardly the last installment in Corleone’s cinematic history.
Arriving at the end of the nineties, Coppola and Puzo raised the idea of making a fourth part, one that we know did not happen in the end, but there were concrete ideas, and also the idea that a young actor would have a key role in the film, a Leonardo Dicaprio.
What would The Godfather 4 have been like?
In the comments section of the DVD of The Godfather: Part IIICoppola shared the plan he had designed together with Puzo, to The Godfather: Part IV.
To begin with, the film would have adopted the same structure of The Godfather: Part II. That is, he would have presented at least two timelines, one from the past and one from the present.
In the present one, Vincent (Garcia) would have been the head of the Corleone family, seeing how everything progressively goes from bad to worse over a decade. That would have led the Corleone to plunge into the world of drugs, something that the family had tried to avoid at all costs until then.
image.png
In the past, the rise of Vito Corleone, characterized in his youth by Robert DeNirosince he kills Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) until his transformation into the powerful figure he played Marlon Brandobut from Sonny’s eyes.
Coppola wanted to rescue Caan’s character despite his death in the first film. With what intention? To repeat the bond between father and son that marked the second part, this time with Sonny and Vicent instead of Vito and Michael.
De Niro, Garcia and thalia shire return for the characters they had already played within the saga and the participation of Leonardo Dicaprio giving life to Sonny Corleone in his younger years.
image.png
Why wasn’t The Godfather 4 made?
The Godfather: Part IV it was never written and ended up being buried after Puzo’s death in 1999, despite being prematurely announced by several major media outlets a few weeks before the novelist’s death.
In 2012, Coppola told GQ magazine that she had been talking to Puzo about the new story back in the years. “We had an idea for a fourth. I told him about it, but Paramount didn’t approve.”.
“Mario knew he was sick and wanted to leave money to his children. So I told Paramount, ‘Give him a million dollars to write it and I’ll work with him for free.’ And, at the time, the studio thought very low budget and ultimately we didn’t do it,” he concluded.
The fourth part of The Godfather finally it was not carried out and it remains in the collective memory as one of the great cinematographic projects that were cut short.
Part of what would be the story of the failed fourth part was captured in the novel The Corleone familypublished in 2021 by ed falco with the permission of the heirs of Puzo. This led to the idea that this installment could reach theaters, however it does not seem that it will ever materialize.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
