Tuesday, December 5, 2017

You Gotti be kidding me: Mobster biopic pulled 10 days before release


[Photo in February by Daniel]

Back in February, crews were out on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue filming scenes for "Gotti," the biopic starring John Travolta, seen above, in the title role.

"Gotti," directed by "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly, was set to open on Dec. 15.

Not anymore. The Tracking Board reports that Lionsgate dropped the film from its schedule and sold it back to its producers. There isn't any word on why Lionsgate decided to drop "Gotti."

Insiders say that "Gotti" would have given 10th Street its meatiest role since "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" filmed between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in 2005.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mob scene on 10th Street as 'Gotti' crew and John Travolta hold forth

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

..."Gotti," directed by "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly, was set to open on Dec. 15. - ( you forgot to put star in quotes also )

Anonymous said...

``````````The Travolta rumors are swirling the drain again. Looks like Johnny T. is the next one in the barrel. Stayin’ Alive................

Anonymous said...

I'm a fan of mob films but just couldn't muster the energy to get excited about this... Travolta in 2017, one of the dudes from "Entourage"... Not much to sink one's teeth into...

Anonymous said...

Sounds like it was garbage. Or that Travolta just can't draw em in the theaters like he use to. Too bad, because his life and crimes should get the bio treatment, unlike Tonya Harding of all people.

Anonymous said...

This film was set to be distributed out by Liongate's far smaller specialty division. There's an outside investor's who made a significant offer and wanted a wider release. The contract also has a buy-back clause in the distribution agreement, which the producers opted to exercise, and the producers will now have this released in a wider distribution in May next year.

The outside investor is probably an Entourage type of guy and have a sense of self inflated of importance and delusions and think that this film will be a hit. It'll soon be streaming at a your local streaming device. Maybe it'll be next "The Room" and will be the midnight showing at whatever indy theaters remain.

Anonymous said...

Sorry but the spin about getting the film a wider relase doesn’t cut it. They could always go wide after a limited release once the rave reviews start rolling in. Radar Online dug up the police report about an incident Travolta had with a male masseuse, and it’s pretty gross. From RadarOnline.com:

John Travolta Accused Of Homosexual Battery In Bombshell Police Report
Masseur, 21, says actor exposed himself, groped his butt & gushed over gay fantasies!
James Robertson
Nov 13, 2017 @ 7:09AM

John Travolta has been named in a criminal complaint by a 21-year-old masseur who accused the Pulp Fiction star of sexual battery.

RadarOnline.com has exclusively obtained the explosive police report that charges the devout Scientologist, 63, of harassing a male spa employee during a late-night rub-down.

The Saturday Night Fever actor allegedly groped the man’s bare buttocks, indecently exposed himself and made lewd remarks about gay fantasies.

The supposed victim’s shocking description of the incident threatens to blow the lid off Travolta’s long-rumored double life as a happily married family man.

Anonymous said...

The problem with this film is the story has already been told so many times there's not that much more or anything new you can add to it, besides that we all know how it ends for Gotti, and quite frankly there hasn't been an actor out there who has able to capture the blunt savagery of Gotti. I love Armand Assante but he was a joke of a Gotti. 'Love Tom Sizemore, too, and while he was much, much more convincing than Assante on physicality alone, he was too nutty to be even 80% convincing. Travolta is just too fuckin' old now, besides that he's not convincing as a menacing toughguy which he's never really played. When I saw the lousy remake of The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3 I thought he should've played the train executive demoted to train dispatcher and Denzel Washington should've played the main villain.

You need a Tony Curtis-type to really capture Gotti. Someone once told me Tony have been perfect but he was too old even by the time Gotti began his reign.

Also, let's face it, Mafia movies are played out because the Mafia is done. Yeah, they're still out there, but they're not the force they were even after Sammy The Bull ratted out Gotti. Goodfellas REALLY set the bar high for Mafia movies, too. I was absolutely blown away by that movie when two friends invited me to see it with them when it came out in October 1990. The closest to the real Mafia movies got after that were Casino (1995) and Donnie Brasco (1997) and they weren't as visceral as Goodfellas - not even close.

Gojira said...

https://screenrant.com/gotti-john-travolta-biopic-dropped-lionsgate-producers/

Brian said...

This spells trouble for the financial success of the movie. But don'the trash Kevin Connally and Travolta both proven professionals.