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The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg―and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
Not yet published
Expected 10 Feb 26The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries―Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg―revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it.
In the summer of 1967, as the old Hollywood studio system was dying, an intense, uncompromising young film school graduate named George Lucas walked onto the Warner Bros backlot for his first day working as an assistant to another up-and-coming, largely-unknown filmmaker, a boisterous father of two called Francis Ford Coppola. At the exact same time, across town on the Universal Studios lot, a film-obsessed twenty-year-old from a peripatetic Jewish family, Steven Spielberg, longed to break free from his apprenticeship for the struggling studio and become a film director in his own right.
Within a year, the three men would become friends. Spielberg, prioritizing security, got his seven-year contract directing television. Lucas and Coppola, hungry for independence, left Hollywood for San Francisco to found an alternative studio, American Zoetrope, and make films without answering to corporate capitalism.
Based on extensive research and hundreds of original interviews with the inner circle of these Hollywood icons, The Last Kings of Hollywood tells the thrilling, dramatic inside story of how, over the next fifteen years, the three filmmakers rivalled and supported each other, fell out and reconciled, and struggled to reinvent popular American cinema. Along the way, Coppola directed The Godfather, then the highest-grossing film of all-time, until Spielberg surpassed it with Jaws ― whose record Lucas broke with Star Wars, which Spielberg surpassed again with E.T. By the early 1980s, they were the richest, best-known filmmakers in the world, each with an empire of their own. The Last Kings of Hollywood is an unprecedented chronicle of their rise, their dreams and demons, their triumphs and their failures ― intimate, extraordinary, and supremely entertaining.
In the summer of 1967, as the old Hollywood studio system was dying, an intense, uncompromising young film school graduate named George Lucas walked onto the Warner Bros backlot for his first day working as an assistant to another up-and-coming, largely-unknown filmmaker, a boisterous father of two called Francis Ford Coppola. At the exact same time, across town on the Universal Studios lot, a film-obsessed twenty-year-old from a peripatetic Jewish family, Steven Spielberg, longed to break free from his apprenticeship for the struggling studio and become a film director in his own right.
Within a year, the three men would become friends. Spielberg, prioritizing security, got his seven-year contract directing television. Lucas and Coppola, hungry for independence, left Hollywood for San Francisco to found an alternative studio, American Zoetrope, and make films without answering to corporate capitalism.
Based on extensive research and hundreds of original interviews with the inner circle of these Hollywood icons, The Last Kings of Hollywood tells the thrilling, dramatic inside story of how, over the next fifteen years, the three filmmakers rivalled and supported each other, fell out and reconciled, and struggled to reinvent popular American cinema. Along the way, Coppola directed The Godfather, then the highest-grossing film of all-time, until Spielberg surpassed it with Jaws ― whose record Lucas broke with Star Wars, which Spielberg surpassed again with E.T. By the early 1980s, they were the richest, best-known filmmakers in the world, each with an empire of their own. The Last Kings of Hollywood is an unprecedented chronicle of their rise, their dreams and demons, their triumphs and their failures ― intimate, extraordinary, and supremely entertaining.
480 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 10, 2026
7742 people want to read
About the author
Paul Fischer
3 books86 followersPaul Fischer is the author of A Kim Jong-Il Production (2015), shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Dagger and chosen as an Amazon Best of the Year Nonfiction Selection, one of Library Journal’s Top Ten Books of the Year, one of Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2015, and one of NPR’s Best Books of the Year, and The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures (2022), a New York Times Editor’s Choice and selected as one of the Times’s Best True Crime Books of the year. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Independent, Bright Wall / Dark Room, and the Narwhal.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 14, 2025
This book was so informative! I have long been a fan of these men and their movies (Coppola’s The Godfather, Lucas’s Star Wars and Spielberg’s Jaws) but to read about how these men got their start and how they crossed paths was really interesting. I learned for the first time of Coppola’s personal struggles, how Spielberg was bullied in school, and how Lucas was in a serious car accident. Even though they got their start before my time, I grew up in the 90s fully entertained by their work and I still enjoy it today. The title is so perfect for this book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Had a great time reading this one, even already knowing some of the stories told within. My only real gripe is that the focus seems to shift between wanting to cover all of the Film School Brats (De Palma and Scorsese included), or just the pictured trio (Spielberg/Coppola/Lucas), or sometimes even just honing in on American Zoetrope. I kind of wish it was twice as long and covered all five in their entirety. That said, I think wanting a book to be longer is a good complaint to have.
October 19, 2025
This is a very informative and entertaining history of Steven Spielberg, France’s Ford Coppola, and George Lucas. You learn about them individually and how their lives were so connected. From discussing their starts through their successes and failures, both business and personal, I learned a lot about their movies, motivations, and struggles. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn about Hollywood in the 70s and 80s, these directors, or just want to read an entertaining biography.
I received an advanced copy for free, but the review is solely my opinion.
I received an advanced copy for free, but the review is solely my opinion.
January 31, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I really enjoyed this! It's a well-paced and witty look at the careers of and friendships between Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg as they navigate trying to establish themselves in Hollywood (with a healthy dose of Martin Scorsese thrown in for good measure). Full of entertaining anecdotes and excellent writing, and good insights into what Hollywood is versus what it might have been.
I really enjoyed this! It's a well-paced and witty look at the careers of and friendships between Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg as they navigate trying to establish themselves in Hollywood (with a healthy dose of Martin Scorsese thrown in for good measure). Full of entertaining anecdotes and excellent writing, and good insights into what Hollywood is versus what it might have been.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Paul Fischer’s The Last Kings of Hollywood is a deep, entertaining study of Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg and their friendship that shaped and redefined Hollywood. This book is a great read if you want to get a ringside seat to toxic masculinity and also find yourself on a weeklong (or more) movie binder. The book focuses on the often-friendly competition between them and their films. For Coppola, the focus is rightly on The Godfather, but also on Apocalypse Now, which turns out to be one of the things that causes a rift in the friendship between him and Lucas. Spielberg’s story is hinged on Jaws and then Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. George Lucas, as he always is and always will be, is defined by Star Wars. In rapid succession, each director finds massive success and breaks each other’s record achievement. First comes The Godfather’s record-breaking run, then Jaws shatters that, and next Star Wars does the same.
Writing only four hundred pages on Coppola, Spielberg, and Lucas had to have been a daunting task, but Fischer is also able to weave an entertaining cast of iconic secondary characters into the book. Never has Martin Scorsese been a minor character, but he comes in and out of the narrative throughout these pages as a tragic figure he is often joined by his constant collaborator, Robert DeNiro, who steps in to encourage and refocus Scorsese after a near death experience. Walter Murch, who was, according to Mike Kitchens, “the biggest mensch,” features heavily and is by the side of both Lucas and Coppola from the beginning. Robert Evans, the epitome of a greasy Hollywood producer, steps into the story to help get The Godfather made after loaning Mario Puzo to get the story written in the first place. Evans, a constant champion for the movie, bristled Coppola and found himself frozen out of the production of the sequel and locked out of the story from that point on, only to reappear at the end again with Mario Puzo to work with Coppola again on The Cotton Club, another failure in a string of failures that rocked Coppola’s life throughout the 80s. The cast of characters in this book is a who’s who of Hollywood from the 60s, 70s, and 80s and even has surprise cameos from the likes of David Lynch, Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kurosawa, Agnes Varda, and John Cassavetes. Running across these names is a real treat when it happens.
Two other secondary characters are writers Paul Schrader and Lucas’ USC classmate John Milius who feature heavily and are seen equally as geniuses and pariahs. About Milius and Schrader, Fischer writes, “Great men make things happen and didn’t stick around to sort out the rubble, but so did small fucked-up men. Milius and Schrader both had the propensity to think of themselves as the former, even when the acted like the latter.” I feel like this passage applies to many characters in this book and each man proves Fischer’s theory right more times than not.
The book follows the three filmmakers throughout their professional lives, but the focus is from 1968 through 1982. Fischer introduces each director with a succinct background of their upbringing and what inspired them to become filmmakers then moving to their starts in Hollywood and first big opportunities. Coppola is presented as the one who paved the way for both Lucas and Spielberg and Fischer rightly points out that Coppola is responsible for a lot of the early opportunities that Lucas received and like any good Godfather, Coppola does remember these favors, and they do come up again throughout the book.
Fischer does an excellent job of not only celebrating the great accomplishments of these men but also showing their weaknesses. Each one had flaws and personality issues that would lead to dark periods and struggles. Coppola’s is a need to be the most important man in the room. He is plagued by having to perform for people at all times and his extra-marital affairs eventually lead to his divorce from his wife, Ellie, but, in the end, he does not get the girl, his former babysitter Missy Mathison, she ends up with Harrison Ford and steps out of Coppola’s shadow to write E.T. with Spielberg. Lucas is plagued by doubts and the feeling of inferiority and always being in Coppola’s shadow. Even at a point in their lives where Lucas is clearly on top of the world and Coppola is down and out, he struggles with stepping out of the almost little brother role in the relationship. He even sees himself as inferior to Spielberg when he first meets him because Steven had already directed something and Lucas had not.
Coppola’s film studio, American Zoetrope, plays a significant role in the book. On a trip to Europe, Coppola meets filmmaker Mogens Skot Hansen who was the owner of the independent production company, Laterna Films. Hansen gifted Coppola a Zoetrope explaining that the meaning of the word was “wheel of life,” “movement of life,” or, Coppola’s favorite translation -- “life revolution,” Just as the studio is one of the defining issues in Coppola’s life I feel like the concept of the revolutions of life is just as important to all three men’s stories. The revolutions of life in this story is seen in the ebbs and flows of their careers, their love lives and in the cycles of jealousy and resentment they, mostly George and Francis, have for each other.
Each director wanted to break from the Hollywood studio system and be independent. Coppola fiercely wanted to be able to make personal films and throughout the book Fischer writes about ways Coppola continually had to settle or take jobs he did not want to just to fund his projects. People around Coppola thought that The Godfather an example of Francis selling out with Caleb Deschanel saying that he and others knew “Francis was selling out.” The inability to keep Zoetrope financially viable and do his personal projects led to disappointments in Coppola’s life. Fischer writes that “both resounding failure and overwhelming success lay character bare” and I think that is really what this book is about. Each director is faced with both extremes and handle those revolutions of life in vastly different ways.
Another example of these life revolutions in the books is the cycle that Fischer shows Hollywood itself go through from the mid-60s up until the mid-80s. The book begins with George Lucas coming into Hollywood as Jack Warner is leaving. Throughout the book the specter of the old Hollywood studios and Warner himself haunts the narrative. By the time Lucas and Spielberg are at the height of their powers the system they abhorred has found its way back in thanks to a consumer and greed is good culture led by Jack Warner’s informant during the McCarthy years who had then become president, Ronald Reagan. I think it is acceptable to quote movies in a review on a book about movies and one of my favorite lines is from Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight where he says, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.” The three directors came together with a vision to be independent of the studio pictures and overreaching producers and executives that they had grown to despise but in the end both Coppola and Lucas struggled with becoming just that and Fischer presents the argument critics made at the time that the massive success of Spielberg and Lucas led to a rebirth of the kind of movies that they wanted to move away from. Michael Eisner, Barry Diller, and others are presented at about the halfway point as true villains and money men that only wanted franchise movies and their view of movies in Eisner’s own words were, “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective.”
In the end, Spielberg comes across the best of the trio. His Hollywood dreams come true, and he seemed able to resist the excess and ego that his contemporaries struggled with even though he had to overcome his own self-doubt. Coppola’s greed, ambition, and infidelity was, at times, off putting. It was relieving to see him come around at the end of the story and find a way to keep American Zoetrope alive and build the business around family instead of unbridled ambition. Lucas is portrayed as equally ambitious but also unsure of himself. He was enormously successful but struggled with being in Coppola’s footsteps.
I enjoyed every page of Fischer’s book and could easily read hundreds more. It is a trip through a great era of Hollywood told from the perspective of three of the greatest directors of all time and also a cautionary tale, like most success stories are. The only critique I have is also one of the things I loved most and that is the plethora of secondary characters. When there are so many characters it is often hard to keep them all straight and it is also a struggle to give them the space they need. The prime example of this is Marty Scorsese. We leave Marty at a pivotal point in his life and Fischer does not go back to him. I hope that a book on Scorsese and DeNiro is next up by Paul Fischer because I will read every word he writes.
Writing only four hundred pages on Coppola, Spielberg, and Lucas had to have been a daunting task, but Fischer is also able to weave an entertaining cast of iconic secondary characters into the book. Never has Martin Scorsese been a minor character, but he comes in and out of the narrative throughout these pages as a tragic figure he is often joined by his constant collaborator, Robert DeNiro, who steps in to encourage and refocus Scorsese after a near death experience. Walter Murch, who was, according to Mike Kitchens, “the biggest mensch,” features heavily and is by the side of both Lucas and Coppola from the beginning. Robert Evans, the epitome of a greasy Hollywood producer, steps into the story to help get The Godfather made after loaning Mario Puzo to get the story written in the first place. Evans, a constant champion for the movie, bristled Coppola and found himself frozen out of the production of the sequel and locked out of the story from that point on, only to reappear at the end again with Mario Puzo to work with Coppola again on The Cotton Club, another failure in a string of failures that rocked Coppola’s life throughout the 80s. The cast of characters in this book is a who’s who of Hollywood from the 60s, 70s, and 80s and even has surprise cameos from the likes of David Lynch, Toshiro Mifune, Akira Kurosawa, Agnes Varda, and John Cassavetes. Running across these names is a real treat when it happens.
Two other secondary characters are writers Paul Schrader and Lucas’ USC classmate John Milius who feature heavily and are seen equally as geniuses and pariahs. About Milius and Schrader, Fischer writes, “Great men make things happen and didn’t stick around to sort out the rubble, but so did small fucked-up men. Milius and Schrader both had the propensity to think of themselves as the former, even when the acted like the latter.” I feel like this passage applies to many characters in this book and each man proves Fischer’s theory right more times than not.
The book follows the three filmmakers throughout their professional lives, but the focus is from 1968 through 1982. Fischer introduces each director with a succinct background of their upbringing and what inspired them to become filmmakers then moving to their starts in Hollywood and first big opportunities. Coppola is presented as the one who paved the way for both Lucas and Spielberg and Fischer rightly points out that Coppola is responsible for a lot of the early opportunities that Lucas received and like any good Godfather, Coppola does remember these favors, and they do come up again throughout the book.
Fischer does an excellent job of not only celebrating the great accomplishments of these men but also showing their weaknesses. Each one had flaws and personality issues that would lead to dark periods and struggles. Coppola’s is a need to be the most important man in the room. He is plagued by having to perform for people at all times and his extra-marital affairs eventually lead to his divorce from his wife, Ellie, but, in the end, he does not get the girl, his former babysitter Missy Mathison, she ends up with Harrison Ford and steps out of Coppola’s shadow to write E.T. with Spielberg. Lucas is plagued by doubts and the feeling of inferiority and always being in Coppola’s shadow. Even at a point in their lives where Lucas is clearly on top of the world and Coppola is down and out, he struggles with stepping out of the almost little brother role in the relationship. He even sees himself as inferior to Spielberg when he first meets him because Steven had already directed something and Lucas had not.
Coppola’s film studio, American Zoetrope, plays a significant role in the book. On a trip to Europe, Coppola meets filmmaker Mogens Skot Hansen who was the owner of the independent production company, Laterna Films. Hansen gifted Coppola a Zoetrope explaining that the meaning of the word was “wheel of life,” “movement of life,” or, Coppola’s favorite translation -- “life revolution,” Just as the studio is one of the defining issues in Coppola’s life I feel like the concept of the revolutions of life is just as important to all three men’s stories. The revolutions of life in this story is seen in the ebbs and flows of their careers, their love lives and in the cycles of jealousy and resentment they, mostly George and Francis, have for each other.
Each director wanted to break from the Hollywood studio system and be independent. Coppola fiercely wanted to be able to make personal films and throughout the book Fischer writes about ways Coppola continually had to settle or take jobs he did not want to just to fund his projects. People around Coppola thought that The Godfather an example of Francis selling out with Caleb Deschanel saying that he and others knew “Francis was selling out.” The inability to keep Zoetrope financially viable and do his personal projects led to disappointments in Coppola’s life. Fischer writes that “both resounding failure and overwhelming success lay character bare” and I think that is really what this book is about. Each director is faced with both extremes and handle those revolutions of life in vastly different ways.
Another example of these life revolutions in the books is the cycle that Fischer shows Hollywood itself go through from the mid-60s up until the mid-80s. The book begins with George Lucas coming into Hollywood as Jack Warner is leaving. Throughout the book the specter of the old Hollywood studios and Warner himself haunts the narrative. By the time Lucas and Spielberg are at the height of their powers the system they abhorred has found its way back in thanks to a consumer and greed is good culture led by Jack Warner’s informant during the McCarthy years who had then become president, Ronald Reagan. I think it is acceptable to quote movies in a review on a book about movies and one of my favorite lines is from Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight where he says, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.” The three directors came together with a vision to be independent of the studio pictures and overreaching producers and executives that they had grown to despise but in the end both Coppola and Lucas struggled with becoming just that and Fischer presents the argument critics made at the time that the massive success of Spielberg and Lucas led to a rebirth of the kind of movies that they wanted to move away from. Michael Eisner, Barry Diller, and others are presented at about the halfway point as true villains and money men that only wanted franchise movies and their view of movies in Eisner’s own words were, “We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective.”
In the end, Spielberg comes across the best of the trio. His Hollywood dreams come true, and he seemed able to resist the excess and ego that his contemporaries struggled with even though he had to overcome his own self-doubt. Coppola’s greed, ambition, and infidelity was, at times, off putting. It was relieving to see him come around at the end of the story and find a way to keep American Zoetrope alive and build the business around family instead of unbridled ambition. Lucas is portrayed as equally ambitious but also unsure of himself. He was enormously successful but struggled with being in Coppola’s footsteps.
I enjoyed every page of Fischer’s book and could easily read hundreds more. It is a trip through a great era of Hollywood told from the perspective of three of the greatest directors of all time and also a cautionary tale, like most success stories are. The only critique I have is also one of the things I loved most and that is the plethora of secondary characters. When there are so many characters it is often hard to keep them all straight and it is also a struggle to give them the space they need. The prime example of this is Marty Scorsese. We leave Marty at a pivotal point in his life and Fischer does not go back to him. I hope that a book on Scorsese and DeNiro is next up by Paul Fischer because I will read every word he writes.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advance copy of this new book that looks at Hollywood in a period of change, when the studios were falling apart and a group of young men with a love for movies, a need to create and a love for independence, began to make movies that changed everything, for good and bad.
There have been many great directors in Hollywood, and some of them still working today. Few though have had the impact of three men in particular, dreamers, schemers, odd men out in many ways, but full of love and passion for cinema and all it can do. And a love of making money. One wanted to create a working space for artists to create, independent of the studios, a dream that died a few times. One saw the future of film being digital not celluloid, with the ability to make films with out sets, and even without actors, a dream for this director. And one was a mix of both, film being the one thing that helped him deal with the world, something he was very good at, and one that gave him peace. Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, created blockbusters, and box office disasters, started studios, changed the way films were made, and how the studio worked. In The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg—and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema by Paul Fischer tells their story, along with a large supporting cast of friends, co-workers, lovers, haters, executives, sharing stories, sharing painful moments, and the art that was created.
The book begins with George Lucas entering Warner Brothers studios with no idea what he is going to do, or why he was going. Lucas was boy who grew up with a dream to race cars, and make movies. A life-altering crash changed one dream, and strengthened his resolve to create films that he wanted. A chance meeting with Francis Ford Coppola, a couple of years older, a director of movies, and a dreamer changed their lives. Both bonded on wanting to make films that meant something, leading to a dream of a studio of outsiders. If they only had a movie that made money to fund it. Behind them was Steven Spielberg, an outsider in many ways with a skill to make movies, a drive to succeed, and a wish to belong somewhere. Stuck in the dying days of the studio system, Spielberg became a friend to both men, learning from their mistakes as he started to make his career. While Coppola had Godfather, Lucas had American Graffiti, and with Stars in his eyes, Spielberg started a little movie about a shark. A movie that nearly killed him, but changed everything.
An excellent look at a dynamic period in Hollywood one that had films that were both art classics, and industry changing successes. Sometimes not in good ways. Fischer is a very good writer, making the story flow perfectly balanceing the many tales of the principal cast, with the many people who helped, loved and were left behind. Women are not treated well in this book, which is sad, for one can see if certain directors had paid attention to their wives, well things might have been different. Fischer has done a great job researching and interviewing people, and this is a real warts and all telling. One that I really enjoyed.
A book for fans of the directors and for those interested in movie history. Extremely well written, with a propulsive narrative that shares a lot of information, and stories about these people. Some disappointing stories, but a really good book. This is the third book by Fischer I have read and think this is his best. I can't wait to read the sequel, or whatever Fischer has planned next..
There have been many great directors in Hollywood, and some of them still working today. Few though have had the impact of three men in particular, dreamers, schemers, odd men out in many ways, but full of love and passion for cinema and all it can do. And a love of making money. One wanted to create a working space for artists to create, independent of the studios, a dream that died a few times. One saw the future of film being digital not celluloid, with the ability to make films with out sets, and even without actors, a dream for this director. And one was a mix of both, film being the one thing that helped him deal with the world, something he was very good at, and one that gave him peace. Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, created blockbusters, and box office disasters, started studios, changed the way films were made, and how the studio worked. In The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg—and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema by Paul Fischer tells their story, along with a large supporting cast of friends, co-workers, lovers, haters, executives, sharing stories, sharing painful moments, and the art that was created.
The book begins with George Lucas entering Warner Brothers studios with no idea what he is going to do, or why he was going. Lucas was boy who grew up with a dream to race cars, and make movies. A life-altering crash changed one dream, and strengthened his resolve to create films that he wanted. A chance meeting with Francis Ford Coppola, a couple of years older, a director of movies, and a dreamer changed their lives. Both bonded on wanting to make films that meant something, leading to a dream of a studio of outsiders. If they only had a movie that made money to fund it. Behind them was Steven Spielberg, an outsider in many ways with a skill to make movies, a drive to succeed, and a wish to belong somewhere. Stuck in the dying days of the studio system, Spielberg became a friend to both men, learning from their mistakes as he started to make his career. While Coppola had Godfather, Lucas had American Graffiti, and with Stars in his eyes, Spielberg started a little movie about a shark. A movie that nearly killed him, but changed everything.
An excellent look at a dynamic period in Hollywood one that had films that were both art classics, and industry changing successes. Sometimes not in good ways. Fischer is a very good writer, making the story flow perfectly balanceing the many tales of the principal cast, with the many people who helped, loved and were left behind. Women are not treated well in this book, which is sad, for one can see if certain directors had paid attention to their wives, well things might have been different. Fischer has done a great job researching and interviewing people, and this is a real warts and all telling. One that I really enjoyed.
A book for fans of the directors and for those interested in movie history. Extremely well written, with a propulsive narrative that shares a lot of information, and stories about these people. Some disappointing stories, but a really good book. This is the third book by Fischer I have read and think this is his best. I can't wait to read the sequel, or whatever Fischer has planned next..
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Thanks to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, Paul Fischer (author), Edelweiss, and Libro.fm for providing an advance digital copy and advance listening copy of The Last Kings of Hollywood (narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
My dad wasn’t an affectionate person. Time spent with him was precious for us, and we (his 3 children) made sure to be as good as possible on outings so we would be allowed to do more cool things with him. He loved films and loved going to the cinema. When I was 7 and my sisters were 10 and 6, dad decided we were well-behaved enough to accompany him to our local cinema to see the big deal film he had been anticipating for 3 years. We were determined to be the best good girls ever, even though we had only been to the cinema twice before and that was for The Muppet Movie two weekends in a row. (I mean, The Rainbow Connection and one of the greatest love stories ever told with Kermit and Miss Piggy, am I right?) Anyway, we three sisters got our drinks and big popcorn to share, settled down in a crowded theater, and prepared to be serious film watchers. Or at least succeed at not being obnoxious and annoying. Two hours later, our popcorn was barely eaten, our jaws were on the floor, and we knew we had just experienced an amazing time with dad we would never forget. We didn’t know until later, though, that The Empire Strikes Back would become one of the biggest films of all time.
My childhood was the best time for movies, and I’m being serious about that. The three young friends featured in this really great book —Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg—revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history during the 1970s and 1980s while risking everything doing it their own way instead of the old way, the “movie studio way”. After that first movie trip with our dad, we also got to go see others including movies from these men like Return of the Jedi, the Indiana Jones films, E.T., The Outsiders, Labyrinth, Gremlins, The Goonies, Back to the Future, and even an all day marathon including the two films we missed when The Godfather III came out. Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg are a huge part of my childhood and the memories I keep of my dad. If by some weird chance they ever read this, I’d like to say thank you for these films that made me love science and history and space and archaeology, and for teaching me empathy by showing me life through the eyes of others. And thank you for time well spent with loved ones.
So much work went into this book. Hundreds of interviews were conducted, hundreds of articles and essays were researched and referenced, and everything is footnoted. People over 45, movie buffs, and students interested in any aspect of the film industry would especially enjoy the book but I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone. The ebook and audiobook were both great.
My dad wasn’t an affectionate person. Time spent with him was precious for us, and we (his 3 children) made sure to be as good as possible on outings so we would be allowed to do more cool things with him. He loved films and loved going to the cinema. When I was 7 and my sisters were 10 and 6, dad decided we were well-behaved enough to accompany him to our local cinema to see the big deal film he had been anticipating for 3 years. We were determined to be the best good girls ever, even though we had only been to the cinema twice before and that was for The Muppet Movie two weekends in a row. (I mean, The Rainbow Connection and one of the greatest love stories ever told with Kermit and Miss Piggy, am I right?) Anyway, we three sisters got our drinks and big popcorn to share, settled down in a crowded theater, and prepared to be serious film watchers. Or at least succeed at not being obnoxious and annoying. Two hours later, our popcorn was barely eaten, our jaws were on the floor, and we knew we had just experienced an amazing time with dad we would never forget. We didn’t know until later, though, that The Empire Strikes Back would become one of the biggest films of all time.
My childhood was the best time for movies, and I’m being serious about that. The three young friends featured in this really great book —Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg—revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history during the 1970s and 1980s while risking everything doing it their own way instead of the old way, the “movie studio way”. After that first movie trip with our dad, we also got to go see others including movies from these men like Return of the Jedi, the Indiana Jones films, E.T., The Outsiders, Labyrinth, Gremlins, The Goonies, Back to the Future, and even an all day marathon including the two films we missed when The Godfather III came out. Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg are a huge part of my childhood and the memories I keep of my dad. If by some weird chance they ever read this, I’d like to say thank you for these films that made me love science and history and space and archaeology, and for teaching me empathy by showing me life through the eyes of others. And thank you for time well spent with loved ones.
So much work went into this book. Hundreds of interviews were conducted, hundreds of articles and essays were researched and referenced, and everything is footnoted. People over 45, movie buffs, and students interested in any aspect of the film industry would especially enjoy the book but I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone. The ebook and audiobook were both great.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
While I'm far from a serious film buff, I found this both entertaining and quite informative. I have to admit that I've never given much thought to what shaped them. That they would know each other was certainly a natural assumption given the nature of the industry, though I never realized they met before fame really found any of them. Even more fascinating was reading about their initial, not necessarily well-formed concepts that led to their most memorable work. And, while I had some vague memory of Lucas being involved in a car wreck, I had no idea how much influence that would have. Same with Spielberg being bullied in school or Coppola's personal struggles with his health and being unable to walk for nearly a year while surrounded by a family of, let's call them, over achievers. Nor did I know who his roommate at UCLA was. Nope, not telling. You'll have to read the book. Grin. Needless to say, Spielberg's Jewish roots should have been a hint to us of where it would take him for one of his most remarkable movies and, no, not the one with the shark. Grin.
So, young and ambitious, struggling for recognition and success, while also chaffing under the then restrictions of film making, they met and became friends. Of course, they were also competitors with all that would mean, but the three of them certain changed movies as we knew them. I still remember leaving the theater after seeing Star Wars repeatedly mumbling "Wow!", totally blown away. While I never quite warmed up to Coppola, I certainly could appreciate the likes of The Godfather and know I've been surprised to see his association with movies like The Outsiders. Even more amazing, to read how long he'd pondered a war movie that ultimately became Apocalypse Now. Wonder how many avoided the beach after Spielberg's Jaws, while shaken by Schiendler's List? Or fell hard for Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones? Obviously I could rattle on endlessly but I'm reluctant to reveal too much because it all rather builds on each part. The comings together and apart and the reasons for it are all intriguing and give us insight into not just these three talents but movie making in general, too, so I want you to get the full scope as it builds.
Bottom line, I obviously thoroughly enjoyed this read. How they became friends and motivated and challenged each other was thought provoking. You'll get some intriguing behind the scenes looks at their movies, of course, a real perk. Thanks #CeladonBooks for this early look at an intriguing book that, shh, I honestly didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. Amazing to see how serendipity played such a role, too, from childhood trauma and events to the red carpet as they changed how we though of movies.
So, young and ambitious, struggling for recognition and success, while also chaffing under the then restrictions of film making, they met and became friends. Of course, they were also competitors with all that would mean, but the three of them certain changed movies as we knew them. I still remember leaving the theater after seeing Star Wars repeatedly mumbling "Wow!", totally blown away. While I never quite warmed up to Coppola, I certainly could appreciate the likes of The Godfather and know I've been surprised to see his association with movies like The Outsiders. Even more amazing, to read how long he'd pondered a war movie that ultimately became Apocalypse Now. Wonder how many avoided the beach after Spielberg's Jaws, while shaken by Schiendler's List? Or fell hard for Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones? Obviously I could rattle on endlessly but I'm reluctant to reveal too much because it all rather builds on each part. The comings together and apart and the reasons for it are all intriguing and give us insight into not just these three talents but movie making in general, too, so I want you to get the full scope as it builds.
Bottom line, I obviously thoroughly enjoyed this read. How they became friends and motivated and challenged each other was thought provoking. You'll get some intriguing behind the scenes looks at their movies, of course, a real perk. Thanks #CeladonBooks for this early look at an intriguing book that, shh, I honestly didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. Amazing to see how serendipity played such a role, too, from childhood trauma and events to the red carpet as they changed how we though of movies.
February 1, 2026
Since the mid-70s films have been dominated by the blockbuster racking in millions of dollars at the box office. Those blockbusters have been made by three of the the biggest names in Hollywood now. But they were the new kids on the block back then. The Last Kings of Hollywood by Paul Fischer tells their story.
I’ve been a fan since “American Graffitti” in 1973 and “Jaws” in 1975. In my college days, I was not into the blood and gore of “The Godfather” in 1972, but did finally watch the series of films later in life. Same with “Taxi Driver” as Fischer does detail some of Scorsese’s beginnings and troubles. All four directors would cross paths and become friends as did the people that worked for them would also. That was something I did not know much about until reading this book.
Fischer writes a remarkably detailed history of these four directors from the college graduation and how they got started to the 1990s. My favorite films are all of them. I was thrilled to see documented proof that there were originally 12 stories in the Star Wars series but Lucas had decided to cut three stories. I had always remembered 12 as the number and then later nine, but could not locate the article I had read that in. Most of the history detailed in the book I knew as I followed Spielberg and Lucas in the press as much as a fan boy like me was able to.
I think what I most liked about the book was that it brought back that feeling of being alive during a highly popular era for films, a very personal feeling even I had lost growing up in a dysfunctional family. Reading this book was like reliving those years. Fischer’s book was an easy read and very enjoyable filled with comments from many people involved with the directors and the people that worked for them on the films that made them a household name. Reading this book was like reliving the excitement I had during those years. An absolute good read!
@CeladoBooks #CeladonBooks #LastKingsofHollywood
Fischer writes a remarkably detailed history of these four directors from the college graduation and how they got started to the 1990s. My favorite films are all of them. I was thrilled to see documented proof that there were originally 12 stories in the Star Wars series but Lucas had decided to cut three stories. I had always remembered 12 as the number and then later nine, but could not locate the article I had read that in. Most of the history detailed in the book I knew as I followed Spielberg and Lucas in the press as much as a fan boy like me was able to.
I think what I most liked about the book was that it brought back that feeling of being alive during a highly popular era for films, a very personal feeling even I had lost growing up in a dysfunctional family. Reading this book was like reliving those years. Fischer’s book was an easy read and very enjoyable filled with comments from many people involved with the directors and the people that worked for them on the films that made them a household name. Reading this book was like reliving the excitement I had during those years. An absolute good read!
@CeladoBooks #CeladonBooks #LastKingsofHollywood
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Last Kings of Hollywood is a tale about the early days of the three directors on the cover (Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg), as well as others also then coming along (Scorsese and De Palma). As someone just seeing for the first time some of the pre-blockbuster movies of the 1970’s, it was great fun learning the behind-the-scenes stories about their obstacles to completing their films, as well as their personal goals, business ventures and collaborations.
As you would expect the book tells many stories from the making of their early great works, (The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now and Raiders of the Lost Ark). Equally fun to me though were the stories of other films I had forgotten or never knew, such as The Sugarland Express, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Mean Streets and Raging Bull. While these stories were the initial draw for me, I found myself engaged with learning more about the directors' personalities. Reading about Coppola in the 1970’s, for example, made it easier for me to understand how he ended up announcing he was personally broke following the release of the recent flop Megalopolis.
There are also interesting stories about the actors who were frequently associated with these directors, such as Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford. The stories about Harrison Ford’s early days were a highlight.
One disappointment for me resulting from reading the book is that there are four or five movies I am now wanting to see which do not seem to be streaming for free anywhere I have looked.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett is narrator of the audiobook of The Last Kings of Hollywood. Whereas I remember enjoying his performance in The Only Good Indians, in this case, I left that he neither added to, nor distracted from, the material. I listened at a 1.25 speed.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read The Last Kings of Hollywood. The above opinions are my own.
As you would expect the book tells many stories from the making of their early great works, (The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now and Raiders of the Lost Ark). Equally fun to me though were the stories of other films I had forgotten or never knew, such as The Sugarland Express, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Mean Streets and Raging Bull. While these stories were the initial draw for me, I found myself engaged with learning more about the directors' personalities. Reading about Coppola in the 1970’s, for example, made it easier for me to understand how he ended up announcing he was personally broke following the release of the recent flop Megalopolis.
There are also interesting stories about the actors who were frequently associated with these directors, such as Robert De Niro, Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford. The stories about Harrison Ford’s early days were a highlight.
One disappointment for me resulting from reading the book is that there are four or five movies I am now wanting to see which do not seem to be streaming for free anywhere I have looked.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett is narrator of the audiobook of The Last Kings of Hollywood. Whereas I remember enjoying his performance in The Only Good Indians, in this case, I left that he neither added to, nor distracted from, the material. I listened at a 1.25 speed.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read The Last Kings of Hollywood. The above opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was an engaging and fascinating book. Coincidence and proximity brought Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Francis Coppola into contact with one another, shaping their relationships and their careers. The author did an excellent job of depicting the personalities and motivations of the three. They were not happy with the old Hollywood system; they wanted to make artistic films that appealed to their sensibilities. The desire to be ‘free’ of Old Hollywood was a major motivator for each titan, and their dreams of independence played a significant role in business decisions, often causing them to make foolhardy investments. I really enjoyed learning about the film industry of the time, and how older entertainment executives were accustomed to having control over so many aspects of a film’s creation and distribution. The book highlighted the struggles the directors faced as they tried to get their movies made, scrounging up financing and haggling with movie studios for every bit of ownership and creative control they could retain. The author also interweaves the personal relationships and crises of each titan, showing how marriages, affairs, colleagues and world events influenced their choices. This book is also an interesting look into the chaos of filmmaking, how directors are constantly having to adapt to problems on set, field demands and criticism from executives, and balance their artistic vision and the realities of their situation. If you like movies, history, the directors, or even just love a good biography, I would absolutely recommend this book!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Coppola will always be my hero with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. These virtual unknowns would all go on to be big! C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett - HELLO! I’ve watched the movie fifty two thousand times or so… I’ve traveled to Tulsa and took the Stay Gold Movie Tour to filming sites and walked through THE HOUSE restored to the days of filming. I digress…
This entertaining trip down memory lane showcases three remarkable men whose movies shaped my childhood and beyond. From knowing each other before hitting the big time, to the who, what, when, and why’s that shaped their future was fascinating. Lucas was in a car wreck, Spielberg was bullied in school, and Coppola struggled with his health - did you know who his UCLA roommate was? Ha, not telling. How they motivated each other was amazing. And to top it all off, the behind the scenes look at their movies was fantastic! Ya, I loved it.
This entertaining trip down memory lane showcases three remarkable men whose movies shaped my childhood and beyond. From knowing each other before hitting the big time, to the who, what, when, and why’s that shaped their future was fascinating. Lucas was in a car wreck, Spielberg was bullied in school, and Coppola struggled with his health - did you know who his UCLA roommate was? Ha, not telling. How they motivated each other was amazing. And to top it all off, the behind the scenes look at their movies was fantastic! Ya, I loved it.
February 1, 2026
A special thanks to Celadon Books for the Arc. This review is in exchange for it.
Hollywood is a weird place and a very fickle place too. Years can go by and there’s no change and success or failure comes and goes. In its current state it seems that Hollywood is stuck in a rut and can’t find its way out. However, this is why you have books like this to look back at the past and remind us how good movies could be.
In The Last Kings of Hollywood, the focus isn’t just on the three directors mention in the title, but also DePalma and Scorsese and what it was like to make movies during the New Hollywood Era of movies. While a little slow at times, the book is still good and each chapter dives into how they made their movies and helped save Hollywood. Without these three (or five depending on how you look at it), Hollywood would not be what it is today.
If you love the films of the 1970s, this book is for you.
Hollywood is a weird place and a very fickle place too. Years can go by and there’s no change and success or failure comes and goes. In its current state it seems that Hollywood is stuck in a rut and can’t find its way out. However, this is why you have books like this to look back at the past and remind us how good movies could be.
In The Last Kings of Hollywood, the focus isn’t just on the three directors mention in the title, but also DePalma and Scorsese and what it was like to make movies during the New Hollywood Era of movies. While a little slow at times, the book is still good and each chapter dives into how they made their movies and helped save Hollywood. Without these three (or five depending on how you look at it), Hollywood would not be what it is today.
If you love the films of the 1970s, this book is for you.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
From someone who loves all of these men's masterpiece movies, this was a truly fascinating read about the Kings of Hollywood modern cinematics! This book is perfect for any film history buff and film historian who is interested in learning about how these talented filmmakers got started and how it was their inspirations that changed the film industry forever as we know it! This book has been on my TBR list for quite some time and I'm happy I got to read this!
I would love to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.
I would love to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this upcoming book***
I was so pumped when I came upon this book on NetGalley and I am here to happily report that it exceeded all of my expectations and them some. This is one of the best behind the scenes books about filmmaking that I have ever read! Not only do you get to be a fly on the wall for the rise of Coppola/Spielberg/Lucas, but it also provides origin stories for other titans of the industry like Kathleen Kennedy, Martin Scorcese and Brian De Palma.
This book is a must read for any film buff out there and I can't recommend it enough!
I was so pumped when I came upon this book on NetGalley and I am here to happily report that it exceeded all of my expectations and them some. This is one of the best behind the scenes books about filmmaking that I have ever read! Not only do you get to be a fly on the wall for the rise of Coppola/Spielberg/Lucas, but it also provides origin stories for other titans of the industry like Kathleen Kennedy, Martin Scorcese and Brian De Palma.
This book is a must read for any film buff out there and I can't recommend it enough!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD - Not impressed with the writing style or the contents, which just reinforced my dislike for most things hollywood. Why I expected the book to be about how four directors made their way from nothing to their accomplishments and how movies were made is my mistake. Yes, that was a bit of the story but most was typical hollywood trash, drugs, sex, etc. Tons of mental illness to go around for many of the subjects written about in this book. I'm sorry I selected this book, my mistake for wanting a different read and h a ving high expectations. Source: Netgalley and Celadon Books. 2*
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Last Kings of Hollywood is an enthralling read about three of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers: Coppola, Speilberg, and Lucas. (There’s a fair amount of Scorsese and some DePalma in there too.) Lucas comes off fairly poorly, yet his impact on modern-day blockbusters (for better or worse) is still felt decades after the first Star Wars and Indiana Jones pictures. Coppola commitment to his art is commendable, even if his greatest achievements were mostly over by the 1980’s. Conversely, Speilberg and Scorsese went on to have long and impressive careers with remarkable filmographies.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Quick thoughts: This is the untold story of three friends, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, who shaped the cinema during the 70s and 80s in an iconic way. Full of information and impact, this one is inspiring me to watch and re-watch many of their oeuvre. Well done.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Fascinating insight into not just the trio mentioned in the title but the overlapping of careers and lives of late 70s and on cinema. Engagingly written and thoroughly researched. A definite read for film lovers and those interested in the start of the blockbuster filmmaking era.
November 19, 2025
So juicy!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
To be fair, I’m a little biased.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Ir was a good read.
January 22, 2026
A familiar film history that offers a fresh perspective, weaving between the creation of some of the greatest films of all time and the eccentric geniuses behind them. The what-ifs are endless.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a well researched, well written, engaging chronicle of three of the greatest film directors of all time. The crux of the book is the behind the scenes details of these directors struggling to stay independent of the big commercial film studios while envisioning, writing, directing, and producing some of the highest grossing movies ever made. Their personal lives entwined with their obsession to accomplish their visions, includes some gossipy who's sleeping with whom but it doesn't detract from the insightful examination of their productions. This is a must read for film buffs or anyone who's enjoyed these blockbuster movies. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced reader copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced reader copy.
July 27, 2025
Really enjoyed this one. If you’re into film history or grew up loving movies like Star Wars, Jaws, or The Godfather, this book is a captivating deep dive. It explores how Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg got their starts, challenged each other, and ended up reshaping Hollywood in the process. It honestly reads like the origin story of modern cinema. A great pick for anyone fascinated by movie history or curious about how the blockbuster era came to be.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing an eARC of The Last Kings of Hollywood prior to publication.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing an eARC of The Last Kings of Hollywood prior to publication.
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