The Paramount+ miniseries, The Offer, is set to hit the streaming platform on April 28, 2022, and fans of The Godfather are undoubtedly excited for it. The show will explore the chaotic development and production process of the iconic mob movie and hopefully include just about every major figure that was involved.
The Francis Ford Copolla has some of the juiciest behind-the-scenes details and fans will be hoping that most of them get directed and examined properly. From the complicated casting process to the threats, some details shouldn’t miss when the miniseries finally gets released.
Coppola’s Disagreements With Paramount
Francis Ford Coppola clashed with Paramount Pictures executives because of his tendency to go above intended budgets. The studio almost replaced him as the director but ultimately opted to let him finish the project.
It’s hard to tell but The Godfather probably wouldn’t have been as iconic as it is if a different director had taken charge. Clashes between studios and directors are nothing new but the public never really get to learn about the deeper details. The level of drama in the series will be unrivaled if all those heated exchanges are included.
Pressure From The New York Mafia And The Italian-American Civil Rights League
Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo had to remove the words ” Cosa Nostra” and “Mafia” due to pressure from the Italian-American Civil Rights League, as well as the New York mafia. While the organization was afraid that the movie would promote stereotypes about Italian-Americans, the mafia didn’t want its existence to be acknowledged.
It’s one of the things audiences hardly notice but unlike other mob productions, the words “mafia” and “Cosa Nostra” aren’t mentioned in The Godfather. Since both Puzo and Coppola are Italian-Americans, they likely shared some of the league’s concerns hence the need to remove any stereotypical wording. And with a couple of actors already being cast as members of the Gambino crime family, it seems certain that the mafia storyline will feature.
Mario Puzzo’s Gambling Debts
Author Mario Puzzo had been advised by his agent to not sell the rights to his novel to Paramount Pictures but he chose to do so anyway. That’s because he desperately needed to pay off his gambling debts.
The mob and gambling go hand in hand so it’s interesting that the author of arguably the best mafia novel of all time had gambling problems too. In an alternate scenario where Puzzo had no gambling debts, the movie would probably not have been made. Fans can thus be thankful for Puzzo’s flaws and hopefully, this tale gets included in the early stages of the miniseries.
Marlon Brando’s Cat
The cat that Don Corleone strokes during the first few scenes of the movie is a stray. Marlon Brando only picked it up on the way to the set and it was decided that it would be fun for it to be kept in the scene.
Comparisons have been drawn between the way Don Corleone strokes the cat and the way Blofeld, one of the best Bond villains, strokes his cat. Since Blofeld came first, the Corleone scene was inspired by the Bond villain. It would thus be interesting to see how the decision to draw inspiration from a Bond movie was arrived at.
The Long Search For A Director
The studio had a hard time finding someone interested in directing The Godfather. Iconic directors Peter Bogdanovich and Sergio Leone both turned down the opportunity. Even Coppolla initially thought of the novel as too sleazy to make a good movie.
Normally, studios tend to be spoilt for choice when selecting directors so it’s baffling that this particular project was rejected by many. After all, gangster movies were guaranteed hits in the era. Those who said no to the project probably regretted it. Such can be presumed for Peter Bogdanovich, who despite claiming to not be interested in the mafia, went on to portray one of the low-key villains in The Sopranos year later.
The Marlon Brando And Burt Reynolds Feud
Marlon Brando and Burt Reynolds are both considered two of the greatest actors of all time but they never saw eye to eye, even though they looked alike. Brando even threatened to quit if Reynolds was cast as Michael Corleone.
It has never really been clear what caused so much animosity between the two. Did Brando simply feel threatened by a younger actor who looked like him? The miniseries should indeed shed some light on the feud. Exploring how the role of Michael Corleone was cast would be interesting too.
The Near Dismissal Of Al Pacino
Al Pacino was almost never cast as Michael Corleone because one of the studio executives felt he wasn’t good enough. And even after being cast, he was almost fired because the producers thought he was doing a poor job.
Al Pacino was nominated for an Oscar so it’s a bit baffling that some executives felt his performances were unimpressive. The trilogy has come to be defined by his performances, even more than that of Marlon Brando and there’s a possibility there’s the possibility the movies wouldn’t have become iconic without him. The miniseries could explore why the decision to fire him was reversed.
The Improvisation Of One Of The Movies Best Lines
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” is not only one of Clemenza’s best quotes but also one of the most memorable ones in the movie as a whole. Interestingly, actor Richard S. Castellano was only supposed to say, “Leave the gun.” His wife, the actress Ardell Sheridan, then suggested he also mention the cannoli that Clemenza’s wife had sent him to buy.
Apart from this specific line, The Offer should provide more insight into the dialogue. Which other lines were improvised? Then there’s Marlon Brando, who was known for using cue cards instead of memorizing lines. How exactly did he do it so well? Were there any instances where his strategy failed?
Frank Sinatra’s Issue With A Single Character
Frank Sinatra once tore into Mario Puzo inside a restaurant because he felt he had defamed him by basing the character of Johnny Fontane on him. However, he was open to being cast as Vito in the movie.
Sinatra’s ties to the mob have been well-documented but it isn’t exactly something he was proud of. Fans would be more than thrilled to watch how the confrontation between Puzo and Sinatra went on down. Details are also sketchy on whether or not he was ever considered for the role of Vito Corleone, so a clarification in The Offer would be perfect.
The Tedious Casting Of Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando was the first choice actor for both Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo but Paramount didn’t want him. It took a lot of convincing for the studio to agree to cast him. And even then, they slapped him with a pay cut and included discipline-related clauses.
Among the best Hollywood tales is how Brando was such a difficult actor to work with. Nonetheless, he always delivered whenever he was granted an opportunity. Through The Offer, fans will finally have a chance to see just how big the actor’s ego was. The fruitless search for alternative actors should make for interesting viewing too.
