With a reignited interest surrounding Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the 1969 Mario Puzo novel sparked by the release of a “fixed” The Godfather Part III – otherwise known as The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone – Paramount has stated we could still receive The Godfather Part IV / The Godfather 4.
Speaking to The New York Times in a recent feature article exploring the motivation behind Coppola’s quasi-return to the franchise, as well as The Godfather, Coda in general, here’s what the studio had to say about the matter of a potential sequel:
“While there are no imminent plans for another film in The Godfather saga, given the enduring power of its legacy, it remains a possibility if the right story emerges.”
And just to really get your freak juices flowing, here’s what the legendary director had to say about the matter:
“There may well be a Godfather IV and V and VI.”
Though you shouldn’t get your hopes up for old mate Francis to helm any fresh follow-ups. As Coppola himself does not own the rights to the property, Paramount is well within their rights to proceed without him. But at this stage in his career, The Godfather, Coda just seems like a cleaner – not to mention more dignified – exit than The Godfather 4.
At one point, a fourth instalment was indeed on the cards with Coppola attached. The overwhelmingly negative critical reception fielded by the third, however, quelled any lingering desires for such an undertaking. Had it come into fruition, the story would have continued following Vincent (portrayed by Andy Garcia), the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone (portrayed by James Caan) first introduced in Part III.
As teased by Francis Ford Coppola, it would have featured a similar split timeline structure to Part II; exploring Garcia’s Vincent as the head of the Corleone family, taking over from the deceased Michael Corleone (portrayed by Al Pacino), cut in contrast to flashbacks set between the events of Robert De Niro’s scenes as Young Vito Corleone in Part II and the original film – only said flashbacks would have been centred on Young Sonny. Despite how you may feel about Part III, there’s no denying a depiction of those dual evolutions on the big screen is quite an intriguing proposition.
We’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose…
