John Travolta in talks to Play John Gotti

It's being reported that John Travolta is in serious talks to play New York City Mob Boss John Gotti in a new biopic named Gotti that will most likely end up being directed by Nick Cassavetes. Marc Fiore, the CEO of Fiore Films says they would love to have him in the movie, and adds that "he’s a terrific actor. John Gotti, Sr. — he’s an icon. And so is Travolta … The Gottis have an image already. People know who they are. You can’t just be a good actor, you have to be a great actor who can become John Gotti.”

I guess I could see why someone would want Travolta playing Gotti in the film, but he's such a big name actor that I wouldn't see Gotti--I would only see Travolta being Travolta. This role needs to be played by an actor that can lose himself in the role, and I've never seen Travolta do that. 

The project was announced back in September, and the plan is to begin production next year.

Here is a bit of background on John Gotti:

Gotti was born in 1964 in Brooklyn, with his mother attempting to shield him and his three siblings from their father's life of crime. As a young man, Gotti worked in trucking and construction but eventually worked his way up within the Gambino crime family and became a "made man" in 1988.

The younger Gotti served jail sentences of about nine years for a variety of charges, including racketeering, gambling and loan sharking, but was never convicted as a defendant in four racketeering prosecutions between 2004 and 2009. He asserts he's turned his life around and believes that a feature film is a good means to move beyond his past.

I think that this will make for an interesting and compelling film and will be a different take on mob life.  

What do you all think about Travolta possibly taking on this role?