The New York Times reports that a prequel to the original titled The Family Corleone will be published some time next year. Source material reportedly comes from an unpublished Puzo screenplay.

Interesting...

May 4, 2011, 12:25 pm The Godfather, Before He Was
By JULIE BOSMAN

Paramount Pictures
“The Family Corleone,” a prequel, by Ed Falco, to the “The Godfather,” written by Mario Puzo, will be published next year. Above, Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in “The Godfather.”How did the Don become the Don? A new prequel to “The Godfather” promises to explain the “unknown history” of how Vito Corleone rose to power in Depression-era New York. Grand Central Publishing, part of the Hachette Book Group, announced on Wednesday that it would publish “The Family Corleone,” a book based on a screenplay by Mario Puzo, in June of next year. Mr. Puzo died in 1999, but the book has the blessing of his estate. “The Family Corleone” was written by Ed Falco, the author of three novels and the winner of a Pushcart Prize. “The Godfather” was first published in 1969 and has sold more than 21 million copies.

(My apologies if this book is discussed elsewhere. You all know I rarely venture out of the fantasy sports threads. )

I wonder if it is based on the script that Puzo may have been working on for Part IV? IIRC, that was going to have flashback scenes of a young Sonny, which would include the rise of the Corleone family to power.

Either way, I am looking forward to this book, even if the Winegardner novels lowered the bar for future Godfather themed books.

And this time it's an Italian writer.

It can't be any worse than the Winegardner books, and I'm sure we'll all read it. But I think the description of the book may be incorrect because we already know how Vito got to be Don Vito.

My guess is that it's going to cover the "lost years" in between the war of the '30s (covered in the novel, where Sonny took control of a regime), and Connie's wedding in 1945.

It's roughly a ten or twelve year period, so there's plenty of time to cover in book form. If it's really based on an old Puzo idea, it should be worth reading on that basis alone.

Personally, I am really looking forward to this novel. Hopefully, Falco has learned something from the Winegardner mistakes and finally gives us GF fans & the franchise a much needed shot in the arm. It has been too long since we had anything good & new to sink our teeth into.

Yeah i cant wait until it comes out. By the way when is it out?

I've heard different reports circulating about the plot of this novel. One is that it covers Vito's rise to power, presumably the "lost years". Another is that it might cover Antonio Andolini and his conflict with Don Francesco, the rise of the mafia in Sicily, etc. Or maybe it will cover Vincent's reign as Don. Who knows.

Here's a little Q&A I found with the author. There's a few hints about what the upcoming novel will be about.

Q&A with Ed Falco

How long has The Family Corleone been in the works?

About one year. I wrote the bulk of it last summer, working eight hours days. During the school year my life is tied up with academic work, so I worked hard on the manuscript during breaks, weekends, etc. Because of that, it's hard to say exactly how long it took to write, but the whole project has been in process about one year.

What inspired this work?

My agent asked me to consider writing a sequel to The Godfather way back in 2001 or so. I wasn't interested in popular fiction at that time, and I declined to be considered. A couple of years ago, I got interested in writing popular fiction. My agent, Neil Olson, knew this, and thought of me again when a deal was signed for the prequel. He called and asked if I would be interested and this time I jumped at it. (Neil represented Mario Puzo, and now he represents the Puzo family.)

When did you read the unproduced screenplay by Puzo?

I read the pages extracted from The Godfather III and IV (unproduced) before I agreed to take on the novel.

What will we learn that is new about the Corleone family tree?

There's one big surprise, but I can't tell.

Does this novel contain references to "real" people?

Yes. The novel is largely set in 1933-1934, as prohibition is coming to an end. Mayor LaGuardia's presence hovers over the novel as a counterpoint to the gangsterism that is the focus to the story. Other historical figures, especially crime figures, including Al Capone and Dutch Shultz turn up, too.

Will there be a strong female character, something lacking in the works of Puzo?

There are two important female characters, Carmella Corleone (Mama Corleone) and Kelly O'Rourke, Luca Brasi's girlfriend. Carmella gets more attention in my novel than she has in the past, and she's "strong" in a manner that's believable for her time and place.

There are quite a few books tied into this franchise, how will yours break from the pack?

I explore some issues that haven't been previously explored. Most significant is the relationship between Luca Brasi and Vito Corleone. Neither of the movies really explain much about Luca, about why he's so loyal to Vito and so feared by others. The first section of The Family Corleone focuses on that. I also take a closer look at Sonny and his entry into the family than anyone has before.

Which current actor do you imagine portraying the young Vito Corleone in your book?

I have no idea. That brilliant cast of the Godfather movies owns my imagination when I think of the Godfather saga. If there's a movie, casting is going to be a challenge.

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2011/05/050611-clahs-falcogodfather.html

Wow! "One big surprise" about the Corleone family tree? I wonder what it could be? Sounds very interesting...

Vincent wasn't really Sonny's kid, he was Michael's!

Or that Fredo and his gay lover adopted Vincent.

As the author mentions that he's partly basing the book on Puzo's unproduced screenplay for GFIV, there's some small hints here, in a FFC interview from 2007:

MTV: "Godfather IV" was talked about, it seems, at one time. You and Mario Puzo — is this true? — went to Paramount and said, "We're interested, we'll do it," and they said, "We're not interested."

Coppola: I never thought making a second "Godfather" made sense to me. ... I thought the end of the first "Godfather" film was the end of it. Michael has become what he's become. He's paid a terrible price for it, and that's the point. The last shot of closing his wife out was the end. So when they wanted a second "Godfather," it was just to make money. ... It was the beginning of this franchise mentality, so I resisted it. ... But I was working on an original idea of ... telling a story of a father and a son at the same age ... two stories paralleling. They prevailed on me so much that I said, "Well, I'll do it, but I'll have total control, and I'll make it be this story and work it into 'The Godfather.' " When that was done — miracle of miracles that it was well-received; like anything, it could have gone as bad as gone right — then I was done with it.

Many years later, after "One From the Heart," after [accumulating] huge debt, unbelievable debt for a young guy, the chance to do "Godfather III" was a chance for me to get out of my problems, and I did it as best I knew how. ... And then there was talk of a fourth "Godfather." And I had an idea of how you could do it, oddly enough, again paralleling two stories because it was a big part of the book that had never been made — it was the period sort of between the old period in "Godfather II" and when you see Marlon Brando in "The Godfather." Mario called it the "happy years" — when we killed them and they didn't kill us. [He laughs.]

And Mario was very concerned to make money because he was getting older and he really wanted to leave his kids well-fixed, and I said to Paramount, "Look it, we have an idea of a structure of this thing. Pay Mario Puzo a million dollars to do this first draft, and I'll help him and work with him. You don't have to pay me anything. But he's getting old, and he's not entirely well." And they basically didn't do it. And then he died.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1576410/francis-ford-coppola-on-godfather-iv.jhtml

The Family Corleone, aka 'The Godfather Part IV: The Happy Years'?

Amazon listing:



Publication Date: May 8, 2012

New York, 1933. The city and the nation are in the depths of the Great Depression. The crime families of New York have prospered in this time, but with the coming end of Prohibition, a battle is looming that will determine which organizations will rise and which will face a violent end.
For Vito Corleone, nothing is more important that his family's future. While his youngest children, Michael, Fredo, and Connie, are in school, unaware of their father's true occupation, and his adopted son Tom Hagen is a college student, he worries most about Sonny, his eldest child. Vito pushes Sonny to be a businessman, but Sonny-17 years-old, impatient and reckless-wants something else: To follow in his father's footsteps and become a part of the real family business.
An exhilarating and profound novel of tradition and violence, of loyalty and betrayal, The Family Corleone will appeal to the legions of fans who can never get enough of The Godfather, as well as introduce it to a whole new generation.

Sounds good. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be another Winegardner shit fest. Doesn't sound like it will, though. Can't wait for May!!!

Agreed. Like I stated above, I can't wait to see this new GF endeavor. This can easily be the GF4 we have all been wanting for sooo long!

At least the stuff having to do with Sonny.

I do think at some point a writer will tackle the post III story with Vincent and the remaining Corleone family.

I sure hope so!

I notice that most of the veteran members stay awfully quiet about this, and for good reasons. I think nobody want's another Joey Za.. I mean Winegardner sort of novel.

I noticed that too, Sonny. I think its a case of once bitten twice shy?

Here's an NPR interview with Ed Falco, author of The Family Corleone, the prequel to The Godfather. The novel is due out May 8 from Grand Central, but Paramount has filed a lawsuit trying to prevent it from being published. Paramount may be angling for a good deal on film rights, but no one knows for sure what's going on.

http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2012/03/the-offer-he-couldnt-refuse/

Early reviews:

Falco’s depiction of Vito Corleone captures both the cool reserve of young Vito and the insight he demonstrates as Don. A worthy addition to the lurid world of the Five Families.
–– Kirkus

“…channels the original so well that readers will be vividly reminded of Puzo’s strengths . . . His moments of blam-blam-blam are ace. Best of all, he supplies a grand set-piece finale--a parade-that will leave readers dreaming of just one more movie.
–– Booklist

Falco’s solid Godfather prequel fills in the backstory of the iconic New York City Mafia family . . . Puzo fans will find this a refreshing change..."
–– Publisher’s Weekly

I can't help but think this may finally be a good addition to the original novel, and if true, could be considered canon. I suspect Paramount just want's a cut of the action. I would be suprised if the novel won't see the light of day.

Publisher's Weekly, pre-publication review:

Falco’s solid Godfather prequel fills in the backstory of the iconic New York City Mafia family . . . Puzo fans will find this a refreshing change from the inferior sequels, The Godfather Returns and The Godfather’s Revenge."
–– Publisher’s Weekly

In the interview Falco says that his main antagonist is named Giuseppe Maruposa. I suppose he used a different name for Salvatore Maranzano of the original novel. I can't think of why he did this.

If it's good, I have no problem accepting it as "canon." Because don't forget, it is based on one of Puzo's own outlines/screenplays.

I'm cautiosly optimistic.

Maybe he changed the character to Guiseppe Mariposa because the novel is set in 1934, and Salvatore Maranzano is a real historical figure in the history of organized crime, and he died in 1931. Luciano and Lansky set up Maranzano after they learned that he had hired Mad Dog Coll to murder Luciano and Vito Genovese. In The Godfather, Puzo has Maranzano still alive in 1933, two years after he'd been killed. Maybe Falco figured better to avoid the historical inaccuracy and come up with a different character name.

Uh, oh. Another gang war:

http://bit.ly/wuEBwG

how much money is enough for paramount?

Looks like The Family Corleone will be published on schedule, May 8th. This is from a newspaper article: "Both sequels met with indiff erence but that could change with the publication next month of The Family Corleone prequel novel on May 8. Authored by Ed Falco, it’s based on Puzo’s unproduced screenplay that delves more deeply into Vito Corleone’s rise through the criminal underworld during the 1930s Depression and how he became the most powerful Mafi a boss in New York. To get it published, Puzo’s children (three sons and two daughters) successfully stopped an injunction by Paramount."

The Family Corleone has a Facebook page where there's an animated cover that's pretty cool:
https://www.facebook.com/TheFamilyCorleone

Could you provide more details? Did they won the lawsuit?

I don't know about the lawsuit, but the novel is definitely coming out May 8th. It's being promoted by Grand Central, and there's more promotion on the Facebook page. I quoted the line about the injunction from this newspaper article:

http://www.mmail.com.my/story/gangsters-and-godfather

Entertainment Weekly has the book trailer:
http://bit.ly/Is5tb0

Bobby Cannavale sounds like Marlon Brando here. (Click on Audio)

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446574624.htm

So, after the Weingardner books I swore not to read any other attempts at new Godfather material. The temptation of the Family Corleone was too much and I took it out of the library and read it. The bar was set pretty low for it in my mind, but I found myself enjoying it. I like the idea that you know most of the characters, but some of the storylines seem a little too contrived. It almost tried too hard to tie up questions and use Italian slang. I still enjoyed it, and you could make a movie out of it.