Francis Ford Coppola has announced plans to re-release, recut and rename The Godfather Part III in December.

The movie is widely regarded as an underwhelming conclusion to The Godfather trilogy and the new version is seen as Coppola's attempt to rectify its legacy by delivering a version of the film that he and late screenwriter Mario Puzo had in mind for the movie.

As a result, the film will be renamed Mario Puzo's The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone when it gets a limited release in cinemas in December to mark 30 years since the original came out.

Explaining the changes, Coppola said: "Mario Puzo's The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is an acknowledgement of Mario's and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather: Part III.

"For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues.

"With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II and I'm thankful to Jim Gianopulos and Paramount for allowing me to revisit it."

After its cinema release, the new cut will be made available on DVD and Bluray.