George Lucas' Forgotten Role In Making The Godfather Explained
Warning: SPOILERS for The Offer.
George Lucas doesn't appear in The Offer's first 3 episodes and Paramount+'s series forgot his role in the production of The Godfather. Timed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film, The Offer is a 10-episode series centering on Albert S. Ruddy (Miles Teller), The Godfather's producer, and his struggle to make a film adaptation of Mario Puzo's blockbuster novel. The Offer also stars Matthew Goode as Paramount Pictures' head of production, Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppola, Patrick Gallo as Mario Puzo, but George Lucas was left on the cutting room floor.
Before Lucas changed the movie business forever by writing and directing Star Wars, he helped found American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas met Coppola in the late 1960s and served as his assistant. Coppola encouraged his protege to direct his own movies and Zoetrope produced the feature-length version of Lucas' USC student film, THX 1138. However, THX 1138 was a critical and financial failure. Coppola and his company ended up in financial straits and owed money to Warner Bros., which financed Lucas' film. The Offer depicts how Coppola took the job to direct The Godfather as a cash grab to get him and American Zoetrope out of debt to Warner Bros. However, The Offer completely leaves out George Lucas' key role in why Coppola becameThe Godfather's director.
Related: The Offer Cast, Character & Real Life Comparison Guide
It was actually Lucas who talked Coppola into taking The Godfather job. Coppola initially felt The Godfather, which was a potboiler best-selling novel, was beneath him. But because their debt to Warner Bros. overTHX 1138 was hanging over American Zoetrope, Lucas told Coppola, «I
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