The story-ideas for a GF4 almost all are about the ‘happy years’, the Corleone family in the nineteen twenties and thirties, during prohibition. But they also see a sort of GF2 movie with two time-periods. The thirties and the modern time, which can variate from the early eighties, when GF3 ended, or late ninetees, when Michael died, till present time. No one really seems interested in the modern-time story, which would include Don Vincenzo.

Off course, now Mario Puzo is dead, this story will be the most difficult to make up. Large parts of II and all of III were written by FFC and Mario Puzo together, so who must come up with what, for a new, part IV story? Because we can all sort of make up something what would’ve happen in the thirties. By the way, not only for present time there must be new characters, but for the 30’s story as well, otherwise, everyone (like the heads of the other families etc.) would live throughout GF4. There are too many characters (I mean, from three previous movies) who could be part in the thirties story; that’s undoable, since Sonny and Vito got to kill a few mobsters too.

Since we kinda like a parralel between Sonny and Vincent, similar to GF2, there must be a resembling storyline. And what’s to tell about Sonny? We know he gets shot in part one, just after he unofficially taken over control over the family. That’s in the late fourties! What power did he have in the thirties, besides being a hotheaded teenager? And I don’t think there should be a large part for Vito, since the Robert DeNiro from today is 30 years older then the DeNiro from GF2, while the ‘new’ Vito is only ten years older (or less), nor would it be possible (considering his non cameo-appearing in part II) to have Brando come back, as a Vito even younger then he played before.
And does this mean Vincent will be extinguished this way as well, or something? Who will follow him up, or will the Family finally be destroyed after Mancini?

The storyline for the Vincent-regime is just as interesting. It would be the only ‘new’ thing to the Godfather Saga. How about new characters? Or even old ones, because I can’t remember Kay, Connie, Andrew or Anthony dying? And what about the beautiful twins:) ? Even Al Pacino can comeback for just a short flash for a segment based somewhere between 1980 and 1997. Pacino these days looks younger then Michael at the end of GF3, so he’d be the only actor who must look older again.
If there should be an actor getting a part in a IV, it should be Nicolas Cage. Not only can he play a part in the old-time story, but also a new character, competing or collaborating with Vincent. Cage is Coppola’s nephew and co-producer of Part 3 (why didn’t he co-star back then?). His appearance would keep the ‘family’ spirit of the Godfather films, as it did in the other films (for part 3, Francis Ford Coppola used his entire family, it seems, in any form). Sofia Coppola can even write or direct or something, if Francis decides not to really be involved so much, and she can also star in “flashback-scenes” of Vincent thinking of her. In the same way old footage was fitted into part III, some scenes from earlier movies, like the shooting of Mary, can be in IV.

Further more, I think Jean Reno can be a young Luca Brasi. He has the same expression on his face, is slitely younger and thinner, and is European! No Italian though, I admit. Jeanne Tripplehorn is a good Sandra, I think, while Kevin Pollak should be Tessio or something. Altough Tessio in 1 was very tall, and Pollak is not. Benicio del Toro is a bit taller, and has a similar skin-colour als Abe Vigoda’s version of Tessio.
Paul Walker has about the same age as DiCaprio and Scott Caan, would they be Sonny. This leaves the door open for Walker to play a minor Tom Hagen part.
Some people referred to James Gandolfini or Joe Pesci: how about if they played the characters of Maranzello and all, the “new” characters fitted in the old-time storyline, who then can be killed or something. We know Tattaglia and Barzini won’t be! Brendan Fehr can be a young Hyman Roth, since he looks a bit like the young Hyman Roth from the GF2 deleted scenes.

Jennifer Lopez as a young Carmella is quite good, lookwise, but she is in real life much younger then Robert DeNiro: how would this look on screen. Same thing for Salma Hayek.

Also I think that, like the older movies, a lot of (not so famous) real Italian actors shall play a lot of parts, if there would ever be a Godfather Four. So all suggestions about Russell Crowe, my own Jean Reno, Kirsten Dunst, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, basically ever not-Italian actor mentioned (Scott Caan of course too), would have less a chance of getting in.

If there will be a GF4, it will probably be based largely upon the already existing scripts and ideas once made by Puzo and Coppola themselves, with the Vincent-era based around drug cartels and all.

Finally, to the “Ricardo” who wrote two acts for a possible GFIV script; you base your story untill 1933 around Vito. No bad idea, yet the common plan was to make a parralel between Santino and Vincent, which would be probably easier to be done movie-technical. So far, Sonny has a very small part in your script.

By the way, I do like to see the rest of it, Ricardo (?) I loved the fact it started (as it should), with a big family-festivity, as it also has a street-festivity with killings and several meetings with the heads of all families. Well done!