Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy is considered one of the greatest film franchises of all time, even if Part III didn’t live up to the first two. Now, three decades later, the Corleone family is returning to the big screen again, but this time probably without Coppola telling the story.
Random House has just announced that Adriana Trigiani will be writing a spin-off story set in the world of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. Told from the perspective of a woman in the family, Connie is expected to release in 2027. Paramount Pictures quickly snapped up the rights for a film, essentially setting up what could become one of the most controversial film revivals of all time. Connie will actually be the first Godfather novel written by a woman, and only the third officially approved continuation from the Puzo estate.
But how does it fit into the bigger picture? Well, Connie Corleone is Don Vito’s only daughter, as we saw in all three films. She was originally played by Talia Shire, who did a remarkable job of bringing the character to life. The character is essentially sidelined while her brothers ran the Corleone empire. This is her story, and how she managed to survive and manipulate things behind the scenes.
Trigiani describes the novel as a story about “how a woman works to forge her own way in a world that’s already decided who she is.”
Anthony Puzo, Mario’s son and executor of the estate, said the family sought out Trigiani after reading an essay she’d written about the women of the Corleone universe. She’s been handpicked to write this character.
With all that said, fans might be disappointed to hear that 87-year-old Francis Ford Coppola probably won’t be involved in the upcoming film – well, he probably won’t direct it. His rep’s answer to The Hollywood Reporter was blunt — it’s “unlikely.”
And it makes sense considering that Megalopolis, the director’s $120 million self-funded passion project, was a huge flop recently. Entrusting him with a big blockbuster would probably be difficult, especially since the production of Megalopolis sounded like such a nightmare. Plus, he’s currently in pre-production on Glimpses of the Moon, shooting in Italy.
An interesting choice would probably be Sofia Coppola, his daughter, who has become one of the world’s most successful filmmakers herself. Plus, she did star as Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III. So at least she is familiar with the world, even if she did an awful job in the part. This could be a chance at redemption for Sofia, who many believe would do a terrific job with Connie.
But they’ll be huge shoes to fill.
The original 1972 film won Best Picture, launched the careers of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, and introduced terms like “consigliere” and “Cosa Nostra” to the world. The Godfather trilogy collectively earned nine Academy Awards and over $400 million worldwide.
The Corleones are coming back. The man who made them immortal probably won’t be in the room. But his influence will always be felt.
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