'The Godfather' Turns the Big 4-0 - Recasting Three Key Roles

Over the course of cinematic history, few films have resonated with audiences in a timeless fashion like Francis Ford Coppola's masterwork, "The Godfather." The story of the Corleones, a fictional mob family that starred Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and James Caan (among many others) is widely held as one of the best American films ever produced, if not the best. It won three Academy Awards and become the standard by which all other films that portray organized crime are judged.

Though pretty much every cinephile and auteur would cry foul if the suggestion were even made, we decided it might be fun to think about who Hollywood would tap to take over the roles played by Brando, Pacino, and Caan. It's a way of honoring the film that turns 40 years old this year. What do you think of our list? Is there someone you'd suggest instead? Drop us a comment and let us know.

Brad Pitt as Don Vito Corleone - At first glance, this suggestion might feel completely crazy. However, there are some similarities between Pitt and Brando. Both were known early in their career as not only tremendously good looking actors, but as finely skilled actors as well. Pitt has played a plethora of different characters over his career, and if there's one actor who could pull off the fierce strength and subtle empathy that the role of the Corleone's patriarch needs, Brad certainly could.

James Franco as Michael Corleone - Franco has a penchant for playing characters that are conflicted in some way. The character of Michael is tremendously torn between a life outside of crime, and a life inside the mafia. James got an Oscar nod under his belt for his work in "127 Hours" too, so there wouldn't be too much outcry over his taking over of a role played by Al Pacino, an Oscar winner in his own right.

Jeremy Renner as Sonny Corleone - To be honest, we almost considered re-casting the 72-year-old Caan in his breakthrough role, but we figured he'd probably not want to be fitted with all those squibs for his death scene again. Renner would actually make a pretty great replacement for Caan. He's able to handle the role of a tough guy, as his Oscar nominated performance in "The Town" demonstrates, and he'd probably flourish in a role where he could be as aggressive and abrasive as the role of Sonny would require.

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