John Gotti Jr. is about to break the cardinal mob rule of keeping quiet, by spilling details about his life with his famous mob father John Gotti Sr. for a documentary, feature film and book.
Gotti Jr. took over the family business as the head of the Gambino crime family after his father was sent up river for life after being found guilty of racketeering and other charges. Gotti Jr. claims he walked away the life in 1999 (yeah, right) and has spent much of his time since in court fighting various charges that have resulted in four mistrials in cases brought forward by federal prosecutors. With no plans for a fifth trial, Gotti Jr. is working with Triplicity Entertainment to bring these projects forward.
The one that will most likely see the light of day first is a documentary that is looking to be completed by spring of 2011. Though no directors or backers are in place yet, the documentary “will feature the emotional last meeting in prison between Gotti Jr., and his father before the latter died of cancer in the prison where he spent his final 10 years.” As for the feature film, no details are in place yet but Gotti Jr. will be involved in both producing and screenwriting the picture.
The Gotti story is one of the more fascinating contemporary mob tales and served as the basis for the 1996 HBO film “Gotti” starring Armand Assante as Gotti Sr. While Deadline seems to think publishers or studios might shy away from doing business with Gotti Jr. because of his direct ties to the mob, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood has soiled themselves to make a buck. A big, splashy feature film telling the Gotti story from Junior’s perspective is too good to pass up. But the question remains: how much can Gotti Jr. reveal about his past life without compromising his own safety?