Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
When it comes to trilogies, the third one often ends up being the weakest of them all, and unfortunately, Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Godfather 3wasn’t immune to it. Released in 1990, 16 years after the sequel, the film failed to live up to the bar set by its predecessors, which are often regarded as some of the best the medium of cinema has to offer.
Moreover, due to salary disputes, the threequel didn’t see Robert Duvall’s Tom Hagen return, a character that was pivotal to Michael Corleone’s story in the first two entries. Later, when asked about his decision to stay out of the third one, Duvall had a pretty candid response.
Robert Duvall’s Absence FromThe Godfather IIIBoiled Down to Economics
It’s no secret that the main motivation behind reviving the franchise after over a decade was money. Apart from being critical hits, the first two entries also made Paramount boatloads of green. Reasonably, the studio execs paidAl Pacinoa huge paycheck,accounting for $5M, to reprise the role of Michael Corleone in the threequel, as opposed to the $1M they offered toRobert Duvall.
“It wasn’t really about a woman”: Diane Keaton Felt Like She Didn’t Belong in Francis Ford Coppola’s Male Driven Movie The Godfather
Considering that the economics were the driving factor for the threequel,The Judgestar demanded a salary equivalent to half of the Corleone family lead’s paycheck. Defending his stance, Duvall later stressed that everyone was doing it for the money and explained that the huge disparity between the paychecks was completely unacceptable.
“I think everybody did it for money. I mean why wait 15 years to do a sequel, whatever you call the third one, you know, they waited that long. So, obviously, it must be for money because, ‘why wait that long?’… When I told certain people that ‘here’s the real deal, this is the way it happens’, if they offered somebody five times what they offered me it’s totally unacceptable.”
However, the actor further stressed that had Pacino been offered twice or thrice the amount he was, Duvall would have accepted the gig, even though he felt that was not ideal either.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Financial State Forced Him to DoThe Godfather III
TheApostlestar wasn’t wrong with his assessment about the driving force behind the threequel being the economics, asFrancis Ford Coppolainitially had no intentions of returning for a third one. After being done withThe Godfather 2,which he wasn’t initially on board with, Coppola was done with the Corleone family for good, despite Paramount’s inclination to expand the IP further.
Probably the Costliest Death in The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola Reportedly Spent $100K For One Scene Even After Paramount Only Gave $6 Million to Shoot the Movie
Unfortunately, despite hitting the goldmine with his next film,Apocalypse Now, Coppola hit a roadblock withOne From the Heart, whose failure pushed him into a decade-long financial turmoil. Following his financial state at the time, the acclaimed filmmaker could no longer refuse Paramount’s offer.
He recalled (The New York Times):
“I was in much less of a strong position. Frankly, I needed the money, and I was coming out of a real financial doldrum where I had almost lost everything.”
But despite being not up to the standards set by its predecessors,The Godfather 3still has its charms. Apart from some underwhelming subplots and the absence of Tom Hagen, the threequel succeeded in giving Michael Corleone a King Lear-inspired departure.
“I can’t watch. I cringe”: Christoph Waltz Can No Longer Watch The Godfather Actor He Idolized for Years Before Becoming a Legend Himself
The Godfather Part IIIis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
More from Santanu Roy
Good Boy First Trailer: Will The Dog Survive in The Scariest Horror Movie of 2025?
Sydney Sweeney’s Great Jeans Can’t Save Americana From Weapons Box-Office Onslaught: Full Report
After “Kal-El, No!”, Gal Gadot Claims Snow White Failed Because of Her Israeli Roots
Recommended
Is Apple TV+’s Carême Renewed for Season 2? Details Inside
Chris Pratt Thriller Dominates Global Streaming Amid Pro-RFK Jr Stance
“Oh I f**king love her”: Margaret Qualley’s Dad Made an Aubrey Plaza Confession That Stunned Her
Gen V Season 2: Total Episodes and Finale Date Revealed
We Were Liars Season 1 Ending Explained: Who Does Cadence Accidentally Kill?
Seth Rogen Had to Apologize for Comparing Clint Eastwood’s Biggest Movie to Inglourious Basterds
Al PacinoFrancis Ford CoppolaRobert Duvall
