Coppola returns to direct "Youth Without Youth" after 8 Years
(25.09.2005)

Francis Ford Coppola has decided to return to directing after an absence of 8 years, to direct a film called "Youth Without Youth", starring Tim Roth in the leading role.

The film will be based on a short novel by Romanian author Mircea Eliade and filmed on location in Romania (starting in October). Coppola described the story as almost an "intellectual Twilight Zone". The story begins just before World War II, when Tim Roth's character encounters a "change" and he ends up a fugitive being chased all over the world.

Although Coppola has been involved in producing many films in the last 8 years, this will be the first film he has directed since "The Rainmaker" in 1997, although he had a hand in "Supernova" in 2000-1 (but received no credit for that). He will of course be remembered for his direction of The Godfather (72, 74 and 1990) and films like Apocalypse Now (1979), The Great Gatsby (1974) and many others.

Francis Ford Coppola has collected 5 Oscars during his long career, but admitted to being a little nervous about his directing return. He hoped that "Youth Without Youth" might take him back to a time before he became involved in bigger projects. With many films being made (like Star Wars) that have returned to a period in time before the original movie began, maybe you could say this is a prequel to Coppola's directing career?

Coppola, who was born in 1939, comes from an "Entertainment" background. His father was a composer and musician and his mother used to be an actress. He directed his first feature film "Dementia 13" in 1963. Coppola did get involved in writing a script for a fourth Godfather film, which was to cover the early lives of Sonny, Fredo and Michael. But following the death of Mario Puzo in 1999 he abandoned the project.

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