The Blue Board

I was just reading up on the trilogy some since I'm watching Part II right now, and I had no idea that the original plot for Part III was so awesome (imo). I knew about Duvall getting written out due to a salary dispute but didn't know the story would've been different. I just assumed they plugged B.J. Harrison (George Hamilton) into Hagen's role and kept the story pretty much the same. Anyway, thoughts?

According to The Godfather Part III, Hagen has already died before the timeframe of the film, 1979–1980. There is no specific indication in the film as to when or how he died, except that it was before the ordination of his son, Andrew, a Roman Catholic priest.

This was not the original plan for the Hagen character. Originally, Hagen was to be the chief antagonist to Michael in The Godfather Part III, as Hagen, the adopted German-Irish son, vied for control of the Corleone Empire over the dwindling family and aging Michael.

Rather than replace Duvall, who had come to be identified with the character (and thus risk later lawsuits by Duvall), the producers instead quietly wrote Duvall out, having him killed offscreen, and setting up an entirely new (and much disliked) plot involving Michael Corleone versus the Vatican.