Kevin Connolly to Direct John Gotti Biopic

It’s been a rocky road for the bio-pic of the late American mobster John Joseph Gotti, Jr. Originally titled Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father, John Travolta was on board to star as the Dapper Don. Due to financial issues, though, the film was ultimately scrapped in 2011. The John Gotti project is officially back on track now with Kevin Connolly set to direct according to Deadline.

Connolly is of course best known for playing Eric “E.” Murphy on Entourage, but is slowly breaking out as a feature film director with upcoming movies like Dear Eleanor and The Wright Girls. Connolly notably “grew up on Long Island reading about Gotti on the front pages of the Post and Daily News.”

John Travolta in Pulp Fiction

Travolta will also return to play John Gotti. The Mafioso has previously been portrayed in various TV movies and miniseries, including HBO’s Gotti starring Emmy-winner Armand Assante. Gotti was also said to be the inspiration for Joey Zasa in The Godfather Part III.