The Godfather Part 2: Why Francis Ford Coppola Produced It (But Not The First Movie)

The rare sequel that surpasses the original, The Godfather Part 2 sees director Francis Ford Coppola also taking on producing duties — something he didn’t do for the first movie. Based on Mario Puzo’s novel, the 1974 crime epic tells two stories: in the present, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) navigates being the new Don, while in the past, Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) travels from Sicily to New York and builds his empire. Despite the first film’s success, there were differing opinions behind the scenes when it came to continuing the Corleone family’s on-screen story.