Well, you have Vincent (b. 1948-49?, currently the Don from GF III.)

Santino Jr. (b. 1945), now reentering the picture, will take an active role in the family. (Hmmm, possibly, he might think "he was stepped over!!" ) He's also the "legitimate" son, while Vinnie is the 'bastard.' Plenty of fodder for drama and conflict there.

There would be a definite "Michael-Fredo" subtext between Vincent and Santino, except unlike Fredo, Santino Jr. would be anything but a bungler - in fact, his raw business smarts would be the best in the family. He built a real-estate empire from scratch into multi-millions, then was wiped out in a dubious criminal case before seeking to join the family business. And despite the sibling rivalry, Vincent and Santino are good friends.

Anthony, (b. 1951), has now taken an active role in the family (although who knows exactly why? Can you function in the Mob with revenge as your sole motive? Doesn't that lead to rash decisions?? And who would it be that Anthony and Kay would hold ultimately responsible for the death of Mary? ) Anthony's legal skills and public performance background make him the perfect replacement for B.J. Harrison (and more importantly, the true successor to Tom Hagen.)

Michael Francis Rizzi Corleone (b. 1955) has now been pardoned after a decade in prison. He actually completed an MBA degree while in jail. He is also assuming a larger role in the family. He would have the street cred and the cellblock smarts and toughness none of the other cousins would have. He combines Vito's street toughness with Michael's judgment. He might actually be the most capable leader of the bunch.

As of 2004, Santino Jr. is 59, Vincent is 55, Anthony is 53, and Mikey is 49.

As of 1983, when we are (re)introducing them into the saga, Vincent is 34, Santino 38, Anthony 32 and Mikey 28. (my timeline was off a couple years on his age and time in prison. we could change it to 'he spent 8 years in prison.')

Of course, given the "life expectancy" of those involved in Corleone family business, I'd say the odds aren't real good all four of those guys would survive to 2004.

I'd say the odds are particularly bad, considering the hot-headed nature of Vincent and the ambitions of Santino Jr, that both of them would make it that far.

But one or two of them probably would.

Vincent would be highly subject to making some grave miscalculation like his father did and probably getting himself whacked in the process, or maybe arrested by the Feds. When this happens, Santino Jr. would be the logical successor.

I don't seen Anthony as having any desire really to be Don (or would be considered a serious successor by Connie or Michael, who would at least to some extent be calling the shots), just to use his legal skills on behalf of the family, again much like Tom Hagen.

So you'd have no shortage of family contenders to be the Don.

Since I'm literally making this up as we go along, what the heck.


Michael dies in 1997 - we know that. The extent of his involvement with family business from 1980-1997 would of course be a prime topic of GF IV.

Since his health was not very good in 1980, it's fair to assume Michael would not be in tip-top shape for all of that time span. Although, in the death scene, he doesn't look ALL that horrible for the age of 77 - in fact, he looks about 77.

By 1997, Connie is 74, and can't be taking too much of an active role anymore. But throughout the 1980s, when she is in her 60s and from all indications in good health, she certainly can.

In the 'next generation' (if we're looking ahead to GF V or VI ), you'd have Vito Alfredo (Vincent's son), born 1983, and Santino Jr.'s twins Sonny and Carmelie born 1981 in the mix. Presumably the four cousins would have a few more kids in the mid-to-late 1980s who would enter family business in the early 2000s.


* Oh yeah - I forgot Victor Rizzi Corleone's son Gianni (born 1972 when Victor was 20, unmarried, and involved with drug trafficking and his death by OD). He'd be "making his bones" in the late 1990s/early 2000s... He'd be the 'bridge generation' from the four cousins born in the 40s/50s to the great-grandchildren of Vito Corleone.


So a bare-bones outline of the 'epilogue' events of GF IV:

1983: Santino Corleone Jr. named as chief executive officer of The Corleone Corp. (Board of directors consisting of Co-Chairs Michael and Connie Corleone, and operations manager Vincent Mancini Corleone); Anthony Corleone accepts appointment as general legal counsel; Michael Rizzi Corleone named VP of personnel operations. Corleone Corp. profits, largely soaked up by the cost of buying out of the Immobliare deal in 1980-81, skyrocket.

1987: Justice Department investigation of Corleone Corp. Several other organized crime groups battle the Corleones on a variety of fronts. Anthony Corleone prepares legal defense strategy, to effectively insulate Vincent, Connie and Michael from any illegal activities. Vincent ignores Anthony's advice and is implicated in a major RICO case.

1988-1993: Vincent Corleone is convicted on multiple RICO counts, and the case works its way through appeals.

1993: Vincent Corleone enters prison on a 5-8 year sentence. Santino Corleone, Jr. is appointed acting Don by decision of Michael Corleone and Connie Corleone.

1992: Gianni Corleone, 20, who was being raised together by Santino and his wife Kate in Florida before their 1984 divorce, returns from active duty in the Gulf War, where he is discharged following a minor injury during battle after gaining the rank of lieutenant.

He asks his uncle Mikey for an entry-level management position in the Corleone Corp. Showing a ruthless affinity for organization, he quickly is taken under his uncle's wing, and also becomes a favorite of his grand-uncle, Michael Corleone. But Santino, rememebering Gianni's rambunctious teen years, keeps a wary eye on him. (Gianni's grandmother Connie also fears Gianni may take too much after his father, Victor.)

1995: Michael Corleone, 75, suffers a serious stroke, drastically handicapping his health. He can walk only with a cane, and his ability of speech is impaired. Connie Corleone and a staff of attendantss tend to him at their Sicilian winter home.

1997: Michael Corleone 77, dies at his Sicilian villa. Shortly before his death, he is visited by his ex-wife Kay. He never speaks again after this meeting.

1999: Vincent Corleone is released from prison. He expects to reassume control of family operations, but two major obstacles are in the way: intense Justice Department scrutiny, and the fact that family operations have prospered under Santino's leadership the past five years.

Major factions of the family feel Santino is better suited to the leadership role, but Vincent believes he deserves to get it back. Rival underworld families/gangs look to capitalize on the split between the Corleones. An uneasy truce develops as Vincent accepts he doesn't have enough support to force Santino out.

2001: Tino Corleone (Santino III), 20, in pre-law studies at Rutgers University, begins work as an apprentice paralegal to VP for Legal Affairs Anthony Corleone in the Corleone Corporation.

His twin sister Lita, majoring in communications and public relations at NYU, begins an internship under Corleone Corp.

Senior PR Director Dominic Abbandando, himself nearing retirement age. Lita Corleone and Dominic Abbandando's son Nicolas, 24, begin a romance.

Later that year Santino Corleone is attending a business conference in New York City on the morning of Sept. 11. He is killed in the World Trade Center attack.

At an emergency meeting called at Vincent Corleone's New Jersey shore home, Connie Corleone addresses the assembled family members - Vincent, Anthony, Mikey, and Gianni (now a rising 'capo' in the organization.)

Santino's children Tino and Lita, who assist in Ground Zero rescue efforts immediately after the attack, attend the meeting, although previously they had not been involved in extra-legal family activities. In the aftermath of their father's death, both say they are ready to handle the truth. Connie agrees.

The family concludes that Vincent cannot function as head of "underground" operations because of the intense scrutiny from the Feds. Vincent will have to remain a powerless public figurehead while Michael Francis Rizzi Corleone becomes the Don.

Vincent has no choice but to appear to accept the decision, but inwardly he is furious - he feels Connie has maneuvered her own son into becoming the Don. He also feels somewhat backstabbed by Anthony.

Anthony explains the legal maneuvers the family is using to get the Feds off its back.

2002:

In a private meeting with her son Michael, Connie outlines several ranking Federal officials who will have to be eliminated in order to defuse the Justice Department probe.

Gianni is assigned to attend to the task, and does. He delegates the hit to button men, through two buffers so he can claim he never knew anything about the order. The hitmen are killed in a shootout with the federal agents, but six Feds are killed.

Connie makes the mistake of sending this order by e-mail to Gianni, and the e-mail is intercepted by federal investigators (in fact, forwarded to them by a senior member of the Corleone legal team. ).

Connie Corleone is indicted on six counts of consipiracy to commit murder of federal officers. It is obvious the Feds are getting information from deep within the family.

2003: Connie Corleone's conspiracy murder trial proceeds. The prosecutors introduce evidence of dozens of other hits she has authorized since 1981.

It is revealed that B.J. Harrison, during his employment by the Corleone Corp. was in fact working as a Federal informant. Prosecutors are supplied with physical evidence implicating Connie Corleone as the actual murderer of Harrison. This additional murder count is added to the case, since there is no statute of limitations.

Under federal statutes, as the actual murderer of Harrison, Connie could face the death penalty. Anthony Corleone, heading the defense team, in his summary to the jury, observes that no 80-year-old defendant, much less a woman, has ever been convicted and sentenced to death in U.S. history, and such a sentence would be pointless, since the defendant would almost certainly die of natural causes before appeals were finally exhausted.

Connie Corleone is convicted and sentenced to death - the first member of the Corleone family ever successfully prosecuted for a murder. Even though the execution will almost certainly never take place, the federal government goes to the extraordinary length of actually setting an execution date of April 28, 2007.

2004

Connie Corleone is confined to a correctional care facility a short distance Ellis Island. On a dark and stormy night ( ) in 2004, she dies overlooking the quarantine ward where Vito Andolini spent the first 3 months of his life in America in 1901.

Michael Corleone realizes his mother had been set up by someone inside the family. He gathers information from his own informant in the Corleone legal firm - legal assistant Tino Corleone. Michael tells Tino what needs to be done. Late at night, Anthony Corleone sits at his desk in a darknened wing of Corleone Corp. headquarters in Manhattan....