After ditching his job at the Rand Corporation for a shot in Hollywood, Al Ruddy wins the job to produce Mario Puzo’s bestselling novel, “The Godfather” for Paramount Pictures. Joe Colombo, a rising crime boss in the New York City Mafia, has a darker fate in mind for the picture.

With Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo penning the script, Al Ruddy and Bettye McCartt confront an ever-growing list of opposition to “The Godfather” including Frank Sinatra, LA Gangster Mickey Cohen, and the Colombo led Italian-American Civil Rights League. Meanwhile, Robert Evans and Gulf & Western’s Barry Lapidus lock horns over the creative direction of Paramount Pictures.