Teflon John? Will an A-List Actor Finally Play John Gotti in Film, and Will John Travolta Be the (Made) Man?

The next film foray into the life and times of former Gambino family organized crime boss John Gotti will be the upcoming movie entitled "Gotti," and John Travolta is reportedly seriously considering taking the lead role as the late "Teflon Don" himself.

This week the New York Post reports that Travolta and Gotti's son Junior had a bona fide "sit down" a few days ago at a California restaurant to discuss the role. Travolta reportedly has Junior's blessing to take the role, and the two "even exchanged mob-style hugs and kisses as they exited the restaurant" (as pictured above).

Gotti has been portrayed in film twice before, as the third and fourth pictures above depict: (1) The 1998 made-for-TV film Witness to the Mob, in which Tom Sizemore played Gotti; and (2) The 1996 HBO original film Gotti (a.k.a. Gotti: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Mafia Don), in which Armand Assante played the "Dapper Don."

I have seen both Witness to the Mob and Gotti (1996 version) more than once, and Sizemore and Assante both did a good job in the Gotti role. But neither is an A-lister like Travolta, who could bring to the role the sort of larger-than-life presence that Gotti himself undoubtedly possessed as he paraded around New York City in the 1980’s with his fancy duds and big mouth.

Travolta in this role also makes sense for other reasons. Both Travolta and Gotti are of Italian ancestry (Travolta one-half; Gotti all the way), and both grew up in and around the Big Apple.

I would also guess that Travolta would be able to identify with Gotti in at least one other way: Both men lost sons at young ages – one of the worst types of tragedies imaginable. Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett died in 2009 from a seizure, while Gotti's youngest son Frank died in 1980 at age 12 after being run over by a neighbor named John Favara (who subsequently disappeared and was presumably whacked out by someone).

At the moment, Travolta taking this piece of work is not a done deal, but it sure sounds like the odds are good that Travolta will ultimately put his signature (and not his brains) on the contract. Forgettaboutit.

http://www.newyorkpost.com/p/entertainment/movies/gotti_travolta_meet_over_dinner_HxWlBLeqUqfbMura3E3zHL http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/travolta_mob_scene_5VPLthxiXVBVIWFf2BBj9M