Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather movie trilogy, has revealed his anger at Paramount"s decision allowing Electronic Arts to produce a videogame tie-in.
In an interview with US television show Sunday Morning ShootOut, Coppola said the studio did not inform him of the deal at any stage. "I knew nothing about it," he said. "They never asked me if I thought it was a good idea."
The Godfather is slated for release on PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP this autumn. It allows players to create their own mob character and work their way up through the ranks of the Corleone family, and features the likenesses of film actors Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen) and James Caan (Sonny Corleone). Marlon Brando also granted likeness rights and recorded a voiceover for the game before his death.
But Coppola, who says he has managed to get a preview of the game, believes the characters have been mishandled. "They use the characters everyone knows, and they hire those actors to be there, and only to introduce minor characters. And then for the next hour they shoot and kill each other," he said.
"I had absolutely nothing to do with the game and I disapprove. I think it"s a misuse of film."