I agree with whoever said placing it in another setting, kind of like some directors do with Shakespeare. The themes and basic plot outline could be the same, but it would have to be completely different than the original movie or else it would be suicide for who ever was involved. I could see this story happening in a political family... something similar to the Kennedy's. Or make it really different, and set it in an African tribe with subtitles or something like that. Or communist Russia. Or fuedal Japan.

The GF themes can play out for a family in any time period, so I think something like this could work. But you'd have to distance yourself from the original. I mean this is THE most loved movie in American cinema...

It could be called, "A re-imagining of the themes present in The Godfather placed in a completely different setting."