2. Sergio Leone Almost Directed The Godfather
Though
The Godfather's success will forever be tied to Coppola's impeccable direction, it's somewhat crazy to learn that he wasn't the first in line to take on the adaptation. Originally the movie's studio wanted somebody of Italian-American origin to helm the flick as a way of bringing it some authenticity. As a result, Sergio Leone (of spaghetti western fame) went straight to the top of the list, but ultimately chose to work on
Once Upon A Time In America instead.
Would It Have Been Any Good? Sergio Leone has one of the most consistent filmographies in cinematic history - in fact, over the course of his relatively long career, the man never made a bad movie. That said, there's something telling us that he was still wrong for
The Godfather movie that Coppola made, though he likely would've been perfect for the original novel's more pulp-inclined sentiments. Then again,
Once Upon A Time In America is an absolute masterpiece running on similar themes, so who knows? Okay, so, what we're saying is, it probably would've been great.