Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal to Star in Movie About the Making of The Godfather

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Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal are set to star in Francis and the Godfather, an upcoming movie about the making of The Godfather. Isaac will play director Francis Ford Coppola and Gyllenhaal will portray producer Robert Evans in the film, which will cover the battles that went on behind the scenes of the 1972 classic.

Barry Levinson (Rain Main, Bugsy) has been tapped to direct the project. “Out of the madness of production, and against all odds, a classic film happened,” the director told Deadline, which first reported the news. The film has the blessing of Coppola, who told the outlet, “Any movie that Barry Levinson makes about anything, will be interesting and worthwhile!”

Francis and the Godfather will center on Coppola’s clashes with Paramount Pictures during the making of what many consider to be the greatest film of all time. One major point of contention involved the casting, with Coppola having to fight to convince the studio to hire both Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.

Brando hadn’t had a hit film in years at the time The Godfather was in production, and the studio questioned his bankability. Meanwhile, there have been reports over the years that Paramount wanted a more conventional leading man to play Michael Corleone, but Coppola insisted on Pacino, who was relatively unknown at the time. The actors who will be portraying Brando, Pacino and other Godfather stars have yet to be announced.

Levinson’s film will also cover Coppola’s battle with Evans and Paramount to shoot The Godfather in New York, despite the novel by Mario Puzo being based in Kansas City. Real-life mobsters will also play a role in Francis and the Godfather, as the mob reportedly wasn’t happy about their way of life being depicted on screen.