Francis Ford Coppola is one of Hollywood’s top and biggest directors. However, there is something in the heart of this legend that he regrets even today, for which he has recently apologized.
As the five-time Academy Award winner said, Hollywood’s ever-growing obsession with sequels began with his 1974 film, The Godfather Part II.
Recalling that time, Francis Ford Coppola said that he fought with Paramount Pictures because he did not want to return to the director’s chair. This followed the resounding success of the first installment, The Godfather, in 1972.
“They said, basically, ‘Francis, you made Coca-Cola. Will you stop making Cola?'” the Megalopolis director said, speaking to The Washington Post.
To round out the picture, Coppola also suggested then-up-and-coming director Martin Scorsese to Paramount Pictures for a second installment of the Mafia film.
However, the studio rejected the idea and Coppola made a few different demands.
The first was to get a hefty salary of $1 million – which was actually a lot compared to salaries in the ’70s – and the second was to add “Part II” to the name of the film.
Francis Ford Coppola said, “So I’m the fool who started numbers in movies.”
For those who don’t know, Francis Ford Coppola took inspiration from the Russian films Ivan the Terrible, Part I, released in 1944, and Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyar’s Plot, released in 1958.
According to Deadline, while the studio first thought it was a crazy idea, they eventually agreed and Coppola moved forward with the deal.
Speaking to The Washington Post, the Apocalypse Now director said he was embarrassed and “apologizes to everyone.”
The Godfather Part II won six Oscars. These awards included Best Picture for Coppola, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for him and writer Mario Puzo.
Also read: Francis Ford Coppola says he ‘canceled’ the casting of actors in Megalopolis because he did not want the film to be considered ‘some fake Hollywood production’.
