Coppola’s Fairy Tale (Not)

Director Francis Coppola had his nose pushed out of joint yesterday on the way to collect a well-publicised $80m jury-verdict win against Warner Bros studios. The Godfather honcho, who hoped to get all the cash for his aborted re-make of Pinocchio, was informed by the trial judge that the punitive damages of the case would be thrown out. In small-talk, this means that Coppola loses a whopping $60m of his proposed $80m damage settlement. Obviously, Warner Bros were chuffed. "We are pleased that the court found the punitive damages were totally unjustified," said a gleaming spokesman yesterday. Coppola, however, was unrelenting. "This case still has a long way to go," said the bearded maestro. The fiasco started when Coppola tried to take his big-budget production of the wooden boy over to Columbia in 1997. Warners, who had first option on the project, "interfered" with the project, resulting in Coppola's $80m win in July 1998. The remaining $20m handed to Coppola covers his writing, producing and directing efforts on the Pinocchio project. The sum also includes projected gross profits of the film. Either way, Coppola has proved once again that you really can earn money for nothing in Hollywood.