The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg―and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema, by Paul Fischer

 Publication Feb. 10, 2026

 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, or were 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.