Francis Ford Coppola Prepping New Italian-American Family Saga


Francis Ford Coppola has opened offices on a new Italian-American family saga that, unfortunately, has nothing to do with The Godfather.

While we’re sure some of the director’s mob stylings will find their way into this new effort, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that it would be a coming-of-age story about a more normal family, centering on a teen boy and teen girl from the 1930s through the 1960s. Okay, let’s clarify. Obviously, they won’t be teenagers the whole movie.

(The Godfather covered the period of time from about 1945 through 1955.)

Coppola is reportedly penning the script. He has set up offices on the Paramount lot, though it’s still too early to tell whether the studio will be involved in financing and distributing. Apparently, when you make The Godfather, you can just move in anywhere without giving away your firstborn.

Courtney Bright and Nicole Daniels have signed on for casting. The pair is already familiar with the Coppola name, having handled casting chores on Francis’ daughter Sofia’s latest, The Bling Ring.

Coppola’s last film was Twixt, a horror thriller about a struggling writer, who arrives in a small town as part of his book tour only to become embroiled in a murder mystery, according to the plot details at IMDb.

Those of you who think it strange that the man who gave us The Godfather would do a horror film, need we remind you of the excellent Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the underrated student film project way-back-when, Dementia 13?

He certainly has a knack for the genre, but unfortunately, Twixt failed to impress audiences in spite of Francis Ford Coppola both writing and directing.

In the filmmaker’s defense, he has intentionally stepped away from the studio system in recent years with this, Tetro, and Youth Without Youth. Coppola hasn’t worked within the system for close to two decades, which is sad because he really seemed to benefit from it, and so did viewers.

Hopefully, this latest Italian-American family saga will bring back some of the old pizzazz that gave us the Corleone Crime Saga.

Aside from the occasional directorial effort and wearing the hell out of a bow tie, Coppola has stayed busy with producing chores. His most recent effort: On the Road, the divisive adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s work.

What is your favorite Francis Ford Coppola film?

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

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