After the success of “The Godfather” in 1972 and the even larger success of “The Godfather Part II” in 1974, writer/director Francis Ford Coppola was done with the series. He felt that the stories of Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando in the present, Robert De Niro in flashbacks) and his son Michael (Al Pacino) had been told. Coppola told a complex Shakespearean drama about a man’s loyalty to his mob-leading family, and how that seemingly honorable quality undercut his desire to live a normal life. Michael was granted power in the mob as a result, and as he rose through the ranks, he lost his soul. In his more lucid moments, he was at peace with that.
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Coppola was finished, but Paramount wanted to keep going, knowing that the “Godfather” movies weren’t just prestige pictures, but major blockbusters. In that way that studios have, Paramount wanted to put a stool down next to “The Godfather” and milk it for all it was worth. Robert De Niro has nipples. You can indeed milk him. In 1985, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Richard Brooks (director of “In Cold Blood”) was in negotiations to make “Godfather III,” having been flown out to Los Angeles to read a 53-page script treatment that had already been put together. Brooks passed on the project, knowing that the “Godfather” should remain in Coppola’s hands. Paramount began to flounder. They wanted a third “Godfather” so badly.
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There is a paragraph in the Times that makes passing mention of the stalled “Godfather III” projects that were floating through Hollywood at the time. It seems that there was even a version of “The Godfather Part III” that was going to star Sylvester Stallone as Michael and John Travolta as his son, Anthony.
Stallone was once being considered to play the Godfather
As we know, Coppola eventually returned to make “The Godfather Part III” in 1990, and it is widely held to be the worst of the three films. Many criticize its mawkish drama, and most people disliked Sofia Coppola’s performance as Mary, Anthony’s first cousin, whom he romances. The 162-minute theatrical cut was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but even at the time, it felt like a weary obligation rather than a true recognition of quality. When the film came out on home video in 1991, it ran 1970 minutes, fixing some of the pacing issues. Eventually, in 2020, Coppola recut the film again, changing the opening, the closing, and a lot of the music. The final cut only runs 158 minutes. It’s telling that the film required so much tinkering just to become watchable. And to think that the project started with about 15 years of development hell.
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The Times article only mentioned that Stallone “almost” signed on to play the Godfather, so no actual Stallone-based “Godfather” project was put into production. Indeed, he was one of many actors and directors who were said to orbit the project throughout the 1980s. According to a Mental Floss article from 2015, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, and Warren Beatty were also being courted.
Because Stallone didn’t write a draft or sign on to the project, there are no additional details to share, other than to say that Paramount wanted him to write, direct, and star in it. Know that Stallone wasn’t enthused about the idea. In fact, he felt it was one of the worst ideas Paramount could have come up with.
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Stallone hated the idea of joining The Godfather series
In a 2010 interview with Ain’t It Cool News, Stallone was asked about the time he was nearly attached to “The Godfather Part III,” and that he was not at all fond of the idea. Stallone remembers being angry at the very thought of it and what he said to the Paramount bigwigs. To quote:
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“The ‘Godfather III’ situation unfolded when the head of Paramount presented me with a poster already printed that had my picture and beneath it ‘Godfather III,’ written, acted and directed by Sylvester Stallone.’ Needless to say, if I weren’t wearing a hat, my skull would’ve split in two. Red-faced, I said to the headman ‘This is the worst idea since my conception.’ Francis created duel masterpieces and it was egregious insensitivity to pull it away from him for monetary reasons. Therefore I took this idea to the sea of mediocrity and plunged it to the bottom.”
Why Stallone? Perhaps because he, like Coppola, had made a prestige blockbuster. “Rocky,” released in 1976, was an enormous success, and Stallone continued to churn out hits. He also had, at the time, recently helmed a high-profile sequel in 1983’s “Staying Alive,” a follow-up to John Badham’s hit film “Saturday Night Fever,” starring John Travolta. “Staying Alive” was made for $22 million and made $127 million at the box office, so Stallone and Travolta were hot commodities. Stallone did, however, possess some integrity, feeling that only Coppola should return.
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Eventually, Coppola returned to make “The Godfather Part III” after a few bombs in the forms of “One From the Heart” and “The Cotton Club.” He needed the money. “The Godfather Part III” was ultimately a hit, but it’s still not remembered very well. At least the original creator got to do what he wanted with it.
