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Noteworthy directors Elia Kazan Arthur Penn Peter Yates CostaGavras Sergio Leone Otto Preminger Franklin J. Schaffner and Richard Brooks were all considered and declined the job before Paramount executives picked Francis Ford Coppola. Things didnt come easily for Coppola after this though. Although he cowrote the screenplay executives took issue with many of his casting decisions and stylistic choices. With rumors swirling that hed be fired Coppola took it upon himself to fire his assistant director and reshoot scenes that executives were unhappy with according to Time.
His masterpiece was then finally understood. Al Pacino was not the first choice for Michael Corleone and he said he was also almost fired during filming. Executives wanted a notable actor to play the breakout role like Robert Redford according to the Washington Post. But Coppola saw Al Pacino on Broadway and knew he had found his Michael Corleone. Reluctantly the studio agreed.
But it wasnt smooth sailing from there. Apparently the studio executives thought Pacino was doing a poor job and described his performance as anemic he told the Washington Post. He added that they tried to fire him three times during filming. The studio also didnt want to cast Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone but then they saw his legendary screen test where he stuffed his mouth with Kleenex.
The studio thought Marlon Brando would be a problem on set and thought of him as toxic according to The Hollywood Reporter. But Coppola made a strong case for the actor by going to his house and helping him create an audition tape. Coppola said in an interview cited by THR that he remembers Brando stuffing his mouth with Kleenex and smearing shoe polish in his hair to transform into Don Vito Corleone. Once the studio saw the tape he was given the role. Brando won an Academy Award for playing the crime boss which he subsequently turned down.
