'Gotti: Three Generations' lands Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

By Sarah Sluis

I think I've been a little suspicious of the project Gotti: Three Generations ever since they tried to cast Lindsay Lohan in one of the main roles. Lohan's career is so far off track she can only get recruited for the indie-est of the indies--right? Then there's the Gotti family itself. Way back when, I saw all of twenty minutes of the reality show "Growing Up Gotti," and was totally horrified. The family was awful. And this is coming from someone who likes "Jersey Shore." It was kind of like that scene in Goodfellas when Karen (Lorraine Bracco) marvels at the tacky, poorly dressed women around her who hit their kids and complains about how rotten they are. The Gotti family fits right into that sequence.

But now, Gotti: Three Generations has lined up an impressive cast. They have Al Pacino, who people will come to see if only for the hope of seeing a hint of the iconic gangster he played in Scarface. Joe Pesci, of "I'm funny? How am I funny?" fame in Goodfellas, has also signed on, as has John Travola, his wife Kelly Preston and Lohan. Barry Levinson, who won a directing Oscar for Rain Man, will direct, and Leo Rossi, an actor who also has writing credits for projects like Mafioso: The Father, the Son, is writing the screenplay. Sounds much better.

The rights for the project were acquired from John Gotti Jr., and the story will center on his relationship with his father. I thought there was some kind of law against profiting from the story of your crimes, but Wikipedia informs me that prosecutors were never able to successfully convict him on racketeering charges and announced they wouldn't pursue the case any further.

Americans have always loved gangsters and a real-life gangster story, and the popularity of these stories abroad will only add to the international appeal. I'm changing my opinion of the project to tentatively positive. Filming starts this fall (which I'm sure will end up being a source of Lohan drama) with plans to release the film in late 2012.