To me, the overwhelming failing of The Godfather, Part III, was the lack of resolution for the storylines involving Tom Hagen. Coppola has stated many times the original outlines for GF III centered around the Hagen-Michael Corleone relationship, but fell apart when Robert Duvall could not be re-signed to play the role.

Without getting into an argument over who was more at fault for Duvall's failure to return, was the resolution of the Hagen storyline important enough that Coppolla should have just re-cast the part?

I think Michael Moriarty, for one, could have played the part and brought it off credibly. There are probably many others who could have done it. Ed Harris for one, although he probably would have commanded more money than Duvall.

No. One source of the Trilogy's strength was its consistent use of the same actors to portray familar characters.

do you really wanna know my opinion? hell no!

if they had done it, then yes, they would absolutely blow the up and coming Part III. that's one of the things I hate the most in TV. that Seineld episode when George Costanza's father was not Jerry Stiller made me wanna puke. I'd rather any other solution, personally. especially in The Godfather.

one of the greatest things in the Godfather films is how we feel like we know all that people on the screen. you know about Fredo, you remember Tom Hagen. you know how Michael made his way up. in Part III, a simple mention of a missing carachter (Fredo and Hagen I mean) is enough for the audience to know what they are talking about (I mean when Michael has a stroke and screams "Fredo! Fredo!"). re-casting one of the main carachters would start ruining that.

In the words of Michael Corleone: "No."

Wait a minute. Wasn't there that one improtant guy in the family who was played by three different actors. What was his name? ...
Oh, yes: Vito Corleone.

Although I like Michael Moriarty and think he could have done a very competent job, Robert Duvall WAS Tom Hagen, and it would have been a huge mistake to recast the part.

A thoughtful question, Enzo, but the answer is: no. In order for the plot to revolve around Michael and Tom's relationship, Duvall would have to play Hagen to be credible. Using anyone else, even someone as talented as Moriarty, would be a glaring discontinuity to anyone who followed the Trilogy as an ongoing family saga.

I am with the naysayers here. Duvall was Hagen. Period.

A good example of not using an actor to reprise another actor's role in the seies was the inabiity to have Clemenza come back because of contractual disputes. Instead of getting another actor to "play" CLemenza, FFC and MP "killed" Clemenza off and made someone else his successor. What that did was to create one of the greatest roles in the trilogy, Frank Pentangeli.