Although there is no need to even consider a remake ofThe Godfather, it is fun to realize thatReacherfeatures one star who would be perfect casting for a vital supporting character. Of all the movies that don’t need to be remade,The Godfathertrilogyis pretty high on the list. For one thing, director Francis Ford Coppola’s endlessly influential mob movies are some of the most universally acclaimed films ever made, so it would be almost impossible to improve on them with a remake.
For allThe Godfather Part III’s problems, the first two movies in the trilogy are widely considered to be among the best movies ever made, and even the third outing is a solid concluding chapter for the trilogy. The fact thatMartin Scorsese directingThe Godfather Part IIwouldn’t have improved the movie goes to show just how impressive the trilogy’s unique place in pop culture history is. That said, it is still fun to speculate on how contemporary filmmakers would go about trying to reinvent the trilogy’s characters.
Reacher’s Paulie Actor, Olivier Richters, Would Make A Perfect Luca Brasi In A Remake Of The Godfather
Richters Has Both The Screen Presence and Commanding Physique To Play Vito’s Enforcer
The intimidatingvillain ofReacherseason 3, Olivier Richters’s Paulie, proves that Vito’s iconic right-hand man Luca Brasi could be recast in 2025. In the original movie, Brasi is played by the stone-faced ex-wrestler Lenny Montana, who gives a deadpan performance that is quietly terrifying.Reacher’s Paulie has a similar intensity, and Richters manages to make even the show’s star Alan Ritchson look like a child thanks to his hulking 7-foot-2-inch frame.
Seeing Richters’s version of Luca Brasi dispatched would be even more unexpected thanks to the star’s towering screen presence.
Richters could effectively reinvent Luca Brasi in a re-imagining ofThe Godfather, and the bodybuilder’s small roles in earlier blockbusters likeBlack WidowandIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyprove he has big-screen pedigree. Brasi’s tragic, utterly unexpected fate is sad enough in the original movie, where he is introduced as a lethal, skilled hitman and fearlessly loyal confidante of the titular mafia don. However, seeing Richters’s version of the character dispatched would be even more unexpected thanks to the star’s towering screen presence.
Why A Remake Of The Godfather Shouldn’t Ever Happen
The Godfather Has A Unique Place In Cinematic History
As fun as it is to consider clever casting ideas for a remake ofThe Godfather, this would be a terrible idea for many reasons.The Godfathermay have changed detailsof mob life to make its story more dramatic, but the movie’s arrival reshaped cinema history in its wake. Coppola’s recent flopMegalopolisproves that even he couldn’t make a movie likeThe Godfatherin 2025, and the original movie’s style and tone are deeply tied to the aesthetic of the New Hollywood era.
I Never Realized The Godfather Changed James Caan’s Face To Turn Him Into Sonny Corleone
I was shocked to learn James Caan required the assistance of an unexpected industry secret to play Vito’s son Sonny Corleone in The Godfather.
Even if this weren’t the case,The Godfatheralso assembled a once-in-a-lifetime cast that couldn’t be replaced in a modern reboot. From Pacino to Brando to Keaton to Caan, almost every member of the cast is a superstar whose acting inThe Godfatherwent on to influence generations of thespians after them. The stakes of remaking such an important piece of cinema history are too high for even the most ambitious filmmaker, which is why remaking The Godfatherwould be a bad idea even withReacher’s season 3 villain playing the perfect supporting role.
