Zoetrope Productions

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his Zoetrope Productions, long plagued by financial woes, filed Thursday for federal bankruptcy protection in Santa Rosa, Calif. The dual filings, under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, came only weeks after a Los Angeles judge ordered Coppola to repay $3 million that he had borrowed from Canadian financier Jack Singer nine years ago to help keep his privately owned film studio afloat. The Superior Court judge had set a Feb.

For the third time in nine years, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is bankrupt. Coppola on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 reorganization both personally and for his wholly owned Zoetrope Corp. and Zoetrope Productions. The latest bankruptcy filing in Federal Court in San Francisco caps a decade of financial turmoil for the famous director, whose films include "Apocalypse Now" and "The Godfather" trilogy.

Sam Bottoms was actually on amphetamines when his character was on LSD in "Apocalypse Now." Martin Sheen was so drunk and agitated during his big scene in the movie that the crew thought he might attack the camera. And Marlon Brando not only showed up grotesquely overweight, but he hadn't even read the book on which the film was based and knew nothing about the character he was to play.

For the third time in nine years, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is bankrupt. Coppola on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 reorganization both personally and for his wholly owned Zoetrope Corp. and Zoetrope Productions. The latest bankruptcy filing in Federal Court in San Francisco caps a decade of financial turmoil for the famous director, whose films include "Apocalypse Now" and "The Godfather" trilogy.

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has agreed to settle his long-running dispute with Canadian developer Jack Singer. Coppola also asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court here to dismiss his personal bankruptcy case and a second bankruptcy that had been filed by Zoetrope Productions, a small film unit. Under the proposed settlement of an $8-million debt to Singer, Coppola will make a cash payment to the real estate magnate in August.

Nothing is simple with Francis Ford Coppola, least of all his bankruptcies. In the filmmaker's latest pair of Chapter 11 proceedings--and there have been four since 1983--the biggest creditor is longtime Coppola associate Fred Roos. Roos, a good soldier, has co-produced at least 16 of Coppola's films, from "The Conversation" to "Tucker." He also served as an officer of Coppola's Zoetrope Corp.

Sam Bottoms was actually on amphetamines when his character was on LSD in "Apocalypse Now." Martin Sheen was so drunk and agitated during his big scene in the movie that the crew thought he might attack the camera. And Marlon Brando not only showed up grotesquely overweight, but he hadn't even read the book on which the film was based and knew nothing about the character he was to play.

Film producer Francis Ford Coppola and his company filed for protection from creditors under bankruptcy laws today, court officials said. Coppola and Zoetrope Productions filed separately under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Act, said the clerk's office at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Santa Rosa. Details of the filing were not immediately available. Zoetrope, based in San Francisco, was expected to issue a statement later in the day.

After spending $55 million and six months behind the camera, director Francis Ford Coppola will return to Italy to reshoot portions of his upcoming epic, "The Godfather, Part III," according to sources close to the project. The $5 million in reshoots--one week in Sicily in early September, followed by one week in New York, and involving stars Al Pacino and Diane Keaton--will boost the cost of the troubled production to more than $60 million, the sources said.

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has agreed to settle his long-running dispute with Canadian developer Jack Singer. Coppola also asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court here to dismiss his personal bankruptcy case and a second bankruptcy that had been filed by Zoetrope Productions, a small film unit. Under the proposed settlement of an $8-million debt to Singer, Coppola will make a cash payment to the real estate magnate in August.

Nothing is simple with Francis Ford Coppola, least of all his bankruptcies. In the filmmaker's latest pair of Chapter 11 proceedings--and there have been four since 1983--the biggest creditor is longtime Coppola associate Fred Roos. Roos, a good soldier, has co-produced at least 16 of Coppola's films, from "The Conversation" to "Tucker." He also served as an officer of Coppola's Zoetrope Corp.

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his Zoetrope Productions, long plagued by financial woes, filed Thursday for federal bankruptcy protection in Santa Rosa, Calif. The dual filings, under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, came only weeks after a Los Angeles judge ordered Coppola to repay $3 million that he had borrowed from Canadian financier Jack Singer nine years ago to help keep his privately owned film studio afloat. The Superior Court judge had set a Feb.

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, already in bankruptcy proceedings, was ordered Wednesday by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to pay $4.8 million in interest on a long-disputed debt owed to Canadian financier Jack Singer. The court had earlier ordered Coppola to repay the original amount of the $3-million loan, which Singer had made to the filmmaker in 1981 to help finance a movie.