Francis Ford Coppola Readying New York-Based Epic Spanning Five Decades

Share:

A five-film Francis Ford Coppola Blu-ray set arrives in stores today, perfectly timed with some exciting news that the Godfather director shared in a recent interview about his 53-year-long career with EW. Recently, it was announced that the legendary filmmaker would be moving his office to the Paramount lot. Coppola filmed several works there, including his iconic mafia movie The Godfather, The Conversation, and Tucker: The Man and His Dream. We had visions of the director returning to his roots and the grandiose epics that made him famous, taking a left turn from the small-scale, intimate features he’s been creating lately. It seems that we will indeed be seeing a new Coppola movie that recalls the greatest hits of his 1970’s filmography. He told EW:

“I have a secret investor that has infinite money. I learned what I learned from my three smaller films, and wanted to write a bigger film. I’ve been writing it. It’s so ambitious so I decided to go to L.A. and make a film out of a studio that has all the costume rentals, and where all the actors are. My story is set in New York. I have a first draft. I’m really ready for a casting phase. Movies are big in proportion to the period. It starts in the middle of the ‘20s, and there are sections in the ‘30s and the late ‘40s, and it goes until the late ‘60s.”

Website CinemaBlend reminds us that decades-spanning films can easily loose their footing, but the obstacles Coppola faced during Apocalypse Now, for example, resulted in a landmark movie. We have faith. Godfather fans: we’re sorry to report that the mystery movie won’t be part four, which is probably for the best after the lukewarm third installment. “I think a sequel is a waste of money and time. I think movies should illuminate new stories,” Coppola indicated. If you have any ideas about where Coppola may be headed with his story, we’re ready to read them in the comments, below.