In November, Regan Arts will release The Godfather Notebook, a collection of Coppola’s notes and research for the film. Pitched as “The Publishing Sensation of the Year For Every Film Fan,” this enormous tome will be a lavishly assembled version of the “prompt book” Coppola used to develop the project, and then carted around with him on the set. As a 2011 video makes clear (watch it above), it’s an exhaustive compendium of every thought, idea, and plan the filmmaker hatched regarding his mob opus.
Sounds interesting. I've always credited Coppola with the Godfather's longevity more than Puzo. I found the book to be underwhelming, way too much on Johnny Fontaine. I think Puzo was a hater who had a stick up his butt about Sinatra. Coppola took what was a great concept and good story by Puzo and turned it into a great story as well, then made II to solidify the epic.
