Francis Ford Coppola thought ‘Godfather’ was going to be ‘a special failure,’ receives Walk of Fame star

Francis Ford Coppola is opening up about the legacy of his beloved “Godfather” film trilogy. The “movie brats”, a troupe that includes “Star Wars” collaborators George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese, was awarded a star on Monday’s Hollywood Walk of Fame. Variety reported that he was not excited about the future of “The Godfather” at the time he made it.

“I thought that it would be a special fail,” said . “Those films are difficult when you make them against the grain of the times.” You are not doing what everyone expects you to do. “

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Talia Shire, left, Francis Ford Coppola and Elle Fanning pose with a star miniature following a ceremony honoring the director with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, March 21, 2022, in Los Angeles.
(Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

The American Zoetrope production head honcho also maintained that if it were up to him, Coppola would hand his honor over to his pal Lucas, who is currently without star, telling the publication, “If anyone deserves a star on the Walk of Fame, it’s George,” adding, “I’ll give him mine. “

” He recalled the filming of the mobster flick and its subsequent theatrical release. “You are always anxious when these movies come out, because of those first opinions. You hope it will go smoothly, but it’s not within your control. The greatest treasure is the time. When people are looking at what you did 50 years later, that’s an award in and of itself. “

‘THE GODFATHER’ DIRECTOR FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA SAYS HE IS ‘DONE’ WITH THE FILM FRANCHISE

“The Godfather” was released in theaters on March 24, 1972 — nearly to the day that Coppola is receiving his star. “Apocalypse Now’ director also stated that he is aware of his place in history but feels uncomfortable about being the recipient of such acclaim, given that so many of his peers in Hollywood still await their stars.

“Although it seems as though I’ve been a rebel against Hollywood, in fact I am a Hollywood creature. He explained that he was created by Hollywood and is proud to be a part of the Hollywood tradition. “It is a pleasure to be able to be part of this wonderful tradition of Hollywood. “

Director Francis Ford Coppola attends a ceremony honoring him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, March 21, 2022, in Los Angeles.
(Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

The film series stars Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia and Talia Shire. Previous entries featured Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando, as well as Al Pacino.

Paramount Pictures re-released the first installment in late February to commemorate the film’s release anniversary and is set to drop the entire trilogy in full 4K Ultra HD on March 22.

It also will release a limited series on Paramount Plus, titled, “The Offer” which sheds light on the wild story of how “The Godfather” — based on the 1969 novel by esteemed author Mario Puzo — even made it to the big screen.

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“Mario Puzo wrote some beautiful novels, but he wrote ‘The Godfather’ to make money,” Coppola said. “Mario loved his family, and he wanted them to be happy, so he wrote a book that he thought would be a bestseller. But it was a bit of an embarrassment. The root of the title was about the familial aspects of many immigrants who came to America in search of better lives. Coppola stated that he tried not to get caught up in the sensationalization of these stories.

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“I dissected that book very carefully and left out many of the pages,” he said, “but Mario was all for it. “

Fox News’ Melissa Roberto and Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.