Oscar Isaac will portray Francis Ford Coppola, while Jake Gyllenhaal has been cast as producer Robert Evans.
The Godfather is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made (it’s no Mafia!, but it’s close), but the production was not without its difficulties. Multiple directors were considered before Francis Ford Coppola took the job (and even he initially turned it down as he found Mario Puzo’s source material to be “pretty cheap stuff”). Executives did not want Marlon Brando, long past the height of his fame, cast as Don Corleone. And the real-life mafia tried to shut down the filming of the eventual-Best Picture winner.
