Unsigned original brad-bound draft for Apocalypse Now, 8.5 x 11, 150 pages, bearing typed credits on the front cover, “Original Screenplay by John Milius” and “This Draft by Francis Ford Coppola.” A few pages in the front bear a revision date of March 1976 to the upper right. Overall foxing to front cover, otherwise fine, clean condition. Milius began working on the script by himself in 1969, which Coppola began to rewrite in 1975. The revision dates of March 1976 indicate that this must be close to the final version of the shooting script—Coppola had gone to the Philippines to begin filming in February 1976, meaning that these edits were made after production had already begun. The initial filming was wrought with chaos and change anyway, as Coppola replaced Harvey Keitel with Martin Sheen after a week, and a couple months later a typhoon destroyed the entire set. Changes were being made to the screenplay as late as 1978, when Michael Herr was brought in to write the voiceover narration, which this version of the script lacks. An item with high cinematic historical value, this script offers a fascinating look into the production of one of the greatest modern films. RR Auction COA.
