Francis Ford Coppola to direct new Italian-American saga

Considered one of our greatest directors after such classics as Apocalypse Now and The Godfather trilogy, it's been tough sledding for Francis Ford Coppola over the last twenty years. After 1997's The Rainmaker, he essentially disappeared from the movie scene, only to return a decade later with a string of indie films nobody bothered to see. Youth Without Youth was too weird even for the art house, Tetro was accomplished but sadly ignored, and Twixt was wildly original but that same ingenuity kept it from gaining a release. Now it sounds as if Coppola is returning back to his roots for what could be his most promising, and marketable film in quite awhile.

Coppola is returning for another generations-spanning Italian-American saga set from the 1930s to the 1960s. Described as a "coming-of-age story that focuses on a boy and girl in their late teens", Coppola will be penning the script and will direct, his first film to tackle the Italian-American experience since 1990's The Godfather III.

Setting up his offices over at Paramount, there's no indication that the studio will actually finance or distribute the project. Coppola has been independently financing his last few films, which have been a little off the beaten path, so it's possible Paramount wants to learn more about his plans before making a decision.[THR]