Travolta family’s mob film to finally screen at Cannes

CANNES, France: A longawaited biopic of the notorious New York mafi a boss John Gotti starring John Travolta is slated to premiere at Cannes, the fi lm festival said on Tuesday.

The movie — which is being shown at a “private presentation” on May 15 — traces the epic rise and fall of the Gambino crime clan, one of America’s most powerful mafi a gangs in the 1980s.

The fi lm is very much a family affair, featuring Travolta’s wife Kelly Preston as Gotti’s wife Victoria, and his daughter Ella Bleu as Gotti’s daughter Angel Gotti.

“We’re hoping to use Cannes as our launching pad,” the fi lm’s marketing and distribution chief Dennis Rice told the Hollywood Reporter.

The project fi rst took root in 2011 when John Gotti Jr. signed a deal with a little-known producer to make a fi lm about his father.

But soon after Travolta agreed to play the lead role, the movie ran into obstacles, triggering a seemingly endless exodus of directors.

Shooting fi nally began two years ago under the direction of Kevin Connolly of “Entourage” fame.

But the highly anticipated planned release in December 2017 was cancelled at the last minute.

However this time producers are confident that it will at last hit the screen, with indie distributor Vertical Entertainment having announced the US release for June 15. — AFP