“The Offer is the incredible story of producer Al Ruddy going to the mattresses to get his film made,” said executive producer Nikki Toscano. “It’s told from Ruddy’s POV, and it examines the many challenges he faced. Evading mandates from his corporate bosses at Gulf + Western, to threats from the real-life Mafia, all the while navigating the nuances of Hollywood to get the job done. This series is about the making of an iconic film.” Here is everything we know so far:
When will The Offer begin streaming?
The first three episodes of The Offer will premiere on April 28. Following the premiere, new episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays.
How many episodes of The Offer will there be?
The Offer is a 10-episode limited event series exclusively on Paramount+.
Who are the stars of The Offer?
Miles Teller as Albert S. Ruddy, the film’s sole producer. Matthew Goode as Robert Evans, the head of Paramount Pictures who gave the film the greenlight. Juno Temple as Bettye McCartt, Ruddy’s secretary but in reality so much more! Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Colombo, the the boss of the Colombo crime family, one of the Five Families of the mafia in New York City, who got the unions in New York City to agree to work on the film. Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppola, the director. Burn Gorman as Charles Bluhdorn, Chairman of Gulf + Western and Evans’ boss. Colin Hanks as Barry Lapidus, Bludhorn’s right-hand man. Patrick Gallo as Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather and co-author of the film script with Francis Ford Coppola.
Is there a trailer for The Offer?
You bet! And it shows how one of the greatest movies ever almost didn’t get made! Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming, 10-part limited series based on Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy’s extraordinary experiences of making The Godfather.
How much of The Offer is true and how much is made up?
Nikki Toscano: “This story is told from Al Ruddy’s perspective, so it’s told through his eyes in the making of this film. We consulted a lot of resources in the making of The Offer. But it was Al Ruddy’s stories that were the North Star of this story. So, with varying perspectives come varying tales of the different ways that The Godfather was made. And there are a number of resources out there, all of which have their own perspective to the story.”
Does Frank Sinatra appear in The Offer?
Sinatra did try to stop the movie from getting made because one of the characters bore too much of a resemblance to him, which made him very unhappy, so he is definitely a part of The Offer. In fact, The Offer writer/executive producer Michael Tolkin jokes, “When they proposed, they asked me to do this, the only story I knew about making The Godfather was that Mario Puzo got into a fight with Frank Sinatra at Chasen’s. So, I had five minutes in the show written, and I just needed nine hours and 55 minutes more to fill it in.”
Why does it take a 10-hour TV series to tell the story of The Godfather?
“Television has become the great delivery system for storytelling now,” Tokin says. “I think we’re happier watching 10 hours of a television series than 90 minutes of a movie most of the time.” And executive producer Dexter Fletcher adds, “We made something that was as big and impressive as we possibly could for the resources that we had. We didn’t go, ‘Oh, it’s TV, we better not aim for the stars.’ We go big and we go bold, and I don’t think we drew that line, which is hopefully part of the strength of what we put out in keeping with the movies. It kind of plays homage to that.”
How did Miles Teller feel about playing Al Ruddy, who is still alive?
“One of the big pleasures of playing him, was just he was a man of action and a guy who was thrown in the fire and just has to figure it out,” Teller says. “He’s an underdog and he’s out of his comfort zone constantly, and yet he just continues to press on. He only knows how to go forward. He doesn’t know how to go backwards. And the fact that he’s still doing it in his ’90s, is just really a testament to the man and his character and everything he stood for. So, it was really a pleasure and an honor to play him in this.”
How many pairs of Bob Evans trademark glasses does Matthew Goode wear in the series?
“They’re pretty iconic,” Goode says. “I think we had maybe even eight different types during filming to use. But you know what? One of the things that was very useful was when Juno came in, and she had a friend who bought a pair of [Bob Evans’] real glasses at an auction after he died. And she showed them to me. And they have bite marks all up and down the arms. Having seen that, I was like, ‘He was kind of stressed, sits there chewing the hell out of them when he’s on the phone and that kind of thing.’ But yeah, there was a lot more homework than just sticking on a pair of glasses. But that’s pretty boring talking about that.”
How to watch or stream The Offer
The Offer will be available exclusively to stream on Paramount+ beginning April 28.
Where can I watch the original Godfather movies?
The Godfather, The Godfather, Part II, and The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone will be available to stream on Paramount+ beginning April 28. Next, See Inside The Godfather Mansion Where JFK and Jackie Kennedy Honeymooned!
