“I would’ve made something interesting”: Martin Scorsese Broke Silence on His Godfather Sequel Despite Francis Ford Coppola Wanting Him to Direct

Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese have been friends for decades and are considered two of the most prominent figures in the New Hollywood movement. The two delivered a range of classics that were said to have paved the way for modern Hollywood. That makes them two of the greatest filmmakers to grace the art form, with immense respect for each other.

Following Coppola’s admiration for Scorsese, the Apocalypse Now filmmaker wanted the Taxi Driver director to helm the wheel for the sequel to The Godfather. However, the director turned down the offer of directing arguably the most iconic film in cinema history, and decades later, shed light on his reasons for doing so.

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Martin Scorsese Said He Was Too Wild to Direct The Godfather 2

By the early ’70s, Martin Scorsese was already a prominent name in Hollywood, whose portfolio involved the acclaimed gem Mean Streets, which did succeed in impressing Francis Ford Coppola. While Coppola, who was coming off from the success of The Godfather, wanted to write the sequel with Mario Puzo, he campaigned for Scorsese to take the director’s chair. But as the story goes, The Outsiders director would end up leading the sequel, whose influence on the art form is second to none.

Decades later the Killers of the Flower Moon director clarified why he didn’t take the gig, stating he considered himself more street-level at the time. The director further explained that he didn’t see himself fit for something as masterful and elegant as The Godfather 2 back in the ’70s. He told Deadline:

“He [Coppola] told me, and, honestly, I don’t think I could have made a film on that level at that time in my life, and who I was at that time. To make a film as elegant and masterful and as historically important as Godfather II, I don’t think… Now, I would’ve made something interesting, but his maturity was already there. I still had this kind of edgy thing, the wild kid running around.”

While Scorsese wasn’t ready to take such a project back in the ’70s, he would tackle a separate elegant and masterful film in the ’90s, The Goodfellas, often considered one of his best.

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Francis Ford Coppola Was on the Verge of Getting Fired From The Godfather on Several Occasions

Interestingly, before The Godfather 2 cemented itself as an all-time classic, Francis Ford Coppola almost came close to getting fired from the first one, as he was out of his depth per crew members. The director revealed that he came close to getting fired on four separate occasions, as he recalled during the filming of the cannoli scene with Clemenza, a Paramount executive warned him, “You’re not gonna come to work tomorrow,” if he didn’t finish it on time.

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Fortunately, this didn’t end up happening, as Coppola overcame the odds to deliver an acclaimed gem, which fans keep on revisiting to this day.

The Godfather Part II is available to rent on Apple TV.