At the end of "The Godfather Part III," which opens in nearly 2,000 theaters across the country today, Michael Corleone blows his brains out.

Scratch that. He dies in a diabetic coma.

No wait. He gets shot, then his nephew murders the archbishop . . . .

Well, actually, none of the above occurs at the end of Francis Ford Coppola's third entry in the Corleone family saga, but those endings were among many written in the 18 versions of the screenplay during the last two years. Two versions were filmed.

Even as late as September, Coppola was shooting new scenes that he had just completed writing. All that frantic, sometimes chaotic, composition has finally been condensed into the two-hour, 41-minute "Godfather III," which arrives 16 years after the second, Oscar-winning installment, in 1974.

The film marks the close of an epic struggle by Paramount Pictures and its chief executive, Frank Mancuso, to breathe life into this long-awaited sequel to two of the most popular and critically acclaimed movies of all time.

Mancuso and his studio have more than a $55-million production bill and an estimated $20-million-plus marketing tab riding on this movie: Their prestige is deeply wrapped up in the production. "(The first two 'Godfather' movies) were the pinnacles of achievement--motion pictures that did tremendously creatively, as well as being commercial successes," said Mancuso, who had made "Godfather III" a top priority of his regime. "You always attempt to achieve that combination."

The latest episode brings back some of the original cast--Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire--in a story about a Corleone family gone "legit" being drawn back into the violent underworld by Michael's attempt to take over a Vatican-connected conglomerate.

Andy Garcia plays Vincent Mancini, Michael's nephew and unlikely heir apparent. Michael's daughter--Vincent's lover and first cousin--is played by Coppola's own daughter, Sofia; it's a key performance, originally cast with Winona Ryder, that has met with derision from many critics.

This wasn't always the cast or story line for "Godfather III." Not even close. Before Coppola and author Mario Puzo got involved, Paramount commissioned 15 treatments and screenplays by at least nine writers. Even former Paramount chief Michael Eisner once tried his hand at writing a story line.