Real Reason Al Pacino Didn’t Return for The Godfather 4

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1972’s epic gangster film The Godfather starred Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, and more. It was the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, and followed the events in Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone from 1945 to 1955. The trilogy focuses on Michael Corleone’s transformation from a reluctant family outsider into a ruthless mafia boss.

Upon release, the movie received critical and commercial acclaim. The movie successfully garnered wider recognition for Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, and more. It is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential movies of all time that went on to launch the gangster genre. The actor didn’t return to play Michael Corleone in fourth part and here’s why.

Francis Ford Coppola scrapped the idea of The Godfather IV

Unlike critics’ and audience’s expectations, the third installment of The Godfather trilogy, 1990’s The Godfather III, struggled to replicate the success of its predecessor. The movie received mixed reviews from the audience and the critics upon release, and according to ScreenRant, it was considered a massive step down from its predecessors.

Whereas critics praised Al Pacino and Andy García’s performances in the movie, the plot of was criticized along with the casting of Sofia Coppola as Mary. It has also been reported that Coppola and Puzo preferred the title The Death of Michael Corleone for the third installment, but Paramount Pictures refused to accept it.

Francis Ford Coppola started working on the fourth installment until Mario Puzo died in 1999. Coppola had co-written the screenplay for all three movies with Puzo, and they had discussed the idea for the fourth. Coppola gave up on the idea after that, and when he was asked about revisiting the franchise, he wrote on his social media,

In my mind, there is only one film known as The Godfather (Parts I and II) and an epilogue, or ‘coda’, The Death of Michael Corleone. The first two films tell The Godfather story in its entirety, and the third one caps it off with a conclusive epilogue.

Reports have mentioned that the filmmaker now considers the Godfather saga to be completed. He feels that the story that he developed with Puzo will feel wrong to complete without him. Talking about the fourth installment, it was at the time reported that it would have been a half-sequel, half-prequel storyline like The Godfather Part II. ScreenRant mentioned,

Andy García would reprise his role from The Godfather Part III as Vincent Corleone in the sequel story, which would see him taking over the family business during an intense gang war in the 1980s, still haunted by the death of his cousin Mary.

Leonardo DiCaprio was picked to play a younger version of Sonny Corleone, originally played by James Caan. It was considered to be juxtaposed with a story of Sonny earning his family’s power and respect in the ’30s, while his son Vincent lost all of it in the ‘80s.

Al Pacino talks about The Godfather’s impact on the audience

In his essay for The Guardian, Al Pacino, who played Michael Corleone in the movie, wrote that according to him, the movie made an impact on the audience because it gave them the idea of family.

People identified with the Corleones, saw themselves somehow in them and found themselves connecting to the characters and their dynamics as brothers, sisters, parents, and children. It wasn’t just people from the city who related to the Corleones—that sense of familiarity carried the film to every part of the world.

The actor mentioned that he was not the first choice to play Michael Corleone. Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, and James Caan were offered the part. But it was Coppola’s faith in him that got Al Pacino the role of his life. In an interview with the NY Times, Coppola shared,

When I actually read the Godfather book, I kept imagining him. And I didn’t have a second choice. It was, for me, always Al Pacino. That’s the reason why I was so tenacious about getting him to play Michael. That was my problem.

The actor goes on to admit that he feels deeply honored to be a part of The Godfather saga, adding that it’s a piece of work that he feels fortunate to be a part of. But he added that it’s taken him a lifetime to move on.

The Godfather trilogy is available to stream on Paramount+.