Francis Ford Coppola wasn't the first choice of director and nearly got fired several times during filming.
Black and white photo of Coppola sitting on the floor of an office and looking at headshots.
Francis Ford Coppla pictured in his American Zoetrope movie studio in April 1970 right after his Oscar-winning movie “Patton” was released. Bettmann/Getty Images
Noteworthy directors Elia Kazan, Arthur Penn, Peter Yates, Costa-Gavras, 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 didn't come easily for Coppola after this though. Although he co-wrote the screenplay, executives took issue with many of his casting decisions and stylistic choices.
With rumors swirling that he'd 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.
