Back in 2023, Snopes – the online platform that verifies whether news is fake – had to deal with a persistent rumor that The Godfather was being remade. The news stemmed from a viral Facebook post suggesting that Javier Bardem was in line to take a lead role, presumably as Don Vito Corleone. Much to the delight of fans of the original Godfather movies, Snopes confirmed that, no, there are no plans to remake The Godfather – at least for now.
It is interesting, however, that in this era where almost any intellectual property is being primed for a sequel, reboot, remaster, or reimagining (you get the idea), The Godfather feels like one of those few films that are completely off-limits. You can name some others that would fall into a similar category: Schindler’s List, Pulp Fiction, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and E.T. Yet, there are elements of The Godfather that make it look like it would be attractive for a reboot on paper, so it is probably surprising that calls haven’t been more vocal.
The Godfather is venerated as a pillar of American cinema
However, there is something sacred about the trilogy. Yes, not everyone loves Part III, and some believe it should never have been made, but the original two movies at least are venerated to such an extent that it would be deemed sacrilegious to attempt to reinterpret the work of Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Indeed, imagine an actor trying to fill Marlon Brando’s shoes, or Al Pacino’s or Robert De Niro’s, for that matter.
And yet, there is auxiliary content from the Godfather universe that remains untouched. The Godfather is not Star Wars when it comes to merchandising. There are several video games, and even a Godfather Megaways slot game that was released recently, but it’s a movie that is mostly known for itself, not its universe. That said, Mario Puzo wrote three books set in the same universe as the original Godfather, and there is a lot of untapped resources within those books to reinterpret the movies.
A lot of additional content exists in books
Fans will know that one of those books, The Sicilian, did get turned into a movie in the 1980s, but it was panned by critics. Michael Corleone was a character in the book, but the character had to be removed from the movie for copyright reasons after complaints by Paramount Pictures. In addition, several licensed sequels to Puzo’s works, such as The Godfather Returns and The Family Corleone, were written in the 2000s.
The point, as such, is that there is a lot of content out there ready and waiting for a sequel or prequel. Yet, the appetite to do it remains dimmed. There are numerous reasons we can speculate about, including what we have said about the veneration of the original movies. Francis Ford Coppola is fiercely protective of their status as pillars of American cinema, and while the movies could possibly be made without his blessing, he would do everything in his power to stop it.
In the end, most movie fans are in agreement that the story does not need retelling. The fact Hollywood is so obsessed with reviving beloved intellectual property in recent years means you can never say never, and we would not be surprised to see someone argue that the medium of television, or more aptly, streaming, would make sense to revive the Godfather as a series. Yet for now, it seems off-limits, and you can be almost certain if they try to repaint the Mona Lisa of movies again, there would be a considerable backlash.