11 February 2021
Newsdesk
Elisabeth Moss has joined Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal in a new movie about the making of The Godfather.
The Handmaid's Tale actress has been cast as Eleanor Coppola, the wife The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, in Barry Levinson's upcoming feature, which was once titled Francis and The Godfather.
"I've wanted to work with her for a long time," Levinson told Deadline. "I couldn't be more excited about her joining the film. Every performance of Elisabeth's is nothing short of exceptional."
The drama will chart the tumultuous journey of getting the 1972 classic made and the repeated clashes between director Coppola and producer Robert Evans during the production. Despite the chaotic drama behind-the-scenes, The Godfather went on to be a critical and commercial success and is frequently cited as one of the best films of all time.
Isaac was previously cast as Coppola, who also directed the two other instalments in The Godfather saga, while Gyllenhaal will portray Evans.
Rain Man director Levinson will helm the movie and produce from a screenplay by Andrew Farotte that he's re-developed.
Golden Globe and Emmy winner Moss is coming off the back of critically acclaimed performances in the horror movie The Invisible Man and the indie movie Shirley, in which she portrayed another real-life figure - author Shirley Jackson.
She is currently filming the next season of The Handmaid's Tale, during which she'll be making her directorial debut, and her upcoming projects include Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch and Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins.
There's a separate TV series in the works about the making of The Godfather, this time from producer Al Ruddy's perspective. Armie Hammer was due to lead The Offer as Ruddy but he is no longer attached to the project due to ongoing controversy surrounding his personal life.
