After a rather long production that dates back to at least 2011, when John Travolta was first cast as celebrity mobster John Gotti, Lionsgate has released the first trailer for the upcoming biopic Gotti. Following the “rise to become the ‘Teflon Don’ of the Gambino Crime Family in New York City,” the latest directorial effort of Entourage co-star Kevin Connolly will “[span] three decades” and be presented as the recollections of Gotti’s son John Jr., played here by Spencer Lofranco. It will examine “Gotti’s tumultuous life as he and his wife,” played by Kelly Preston, “attempt to hold the family together amongst tragedy and multiple prison sentences.”
Travolta’s highest profile role of late was as Robert Shapiro in American Crime Story: The People V. O.J. Simpson and it’s hard not to think of it watching this trailer. The mix of prosthetics and makeup — combined with Travolta’s Trump-like smirk as Gotti — seems very familiar. Obviously, Gotti was a famous fixture of the New York tabloid press during the ’90s, and Travolta is… Travolta. But still, where have we seen this?
Gotti will hit theaters and become available via video on demand on December 15th, 2017.
