'The Godfather: Part III' Is Getting a Do-Over

When it was released in 1990, director Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III was met with a mixed critical and commercial reception. Picking up the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who was last seen in 1974’s The Godfather: Part II, many fans felt let down.

Now, they might want to consider giving the movie a second look. Variety has announced that in December, Paramount will release a newly edited version of the film, supervised by Coppola, that will also include a new ending.

The new version, titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, is said to be closer to what Coppola and The Godfather author and screenwriter Mario Puzo had in mind for the closing chapter of the film series. According to Coppola, the film will feature a new beginning, ending, and scenes that have been “rearranged.” Coppola calls it a “more appropriate conclusion” to the saga, which he never considered to be a trilogy. The third film, he says, was intended to be more of a coda, which is now reflected in the title.

Coppola also stated that the edit might change public perception of the performance given by his daughter, Lost In Translation director Sofia Coppola, who was 19 at the time she played Mary Corleone, Michael’s daughter. The younger Coppola received fairly abysmal reviews for her acting at the time of the film’s release.

Owing to the ever-changing theatrical landscape, it’s not known whether the new version will make it to theaters, as Paramount has suggested, or whether it will screen at drive-ins. Either way, the studio also plans on a digital and DVD release.

Paramount had spent years trying to get a third film off the ground, at one point suggesting that Sylvester Stallone write, direct, and star. Stallone declined.