Most Cannes-philes are excited because “Solo: A Star Wars Story” will premiere on Tuesday, May 15th at the Palais des Festivals.
But there’s another premiere on May 15th, also out of competition, but certainly of much interest. That will be John Travolta in “Gotti,” the story of fabled mobster John Gotti Sr. directed by Kevin Connolly and finally ready for its close up.
“Gotti,” a movie with a roller coaster history, will be released by Vertical Entertainment on June 15th. Vertical isn’t exactly Lions Gate, which was going to release “Gotti.” They specialize in B films and video on demand.
In Cannes there will some kind of celebratory screening, with Travolta, Connolly, and others involved with the film. The hope is that John Gotti, Jr.– who has endorsed, produced and shepherded the project– will be able to travel to France to be part of the festivities.
At this point, “Gotti” is several years in the making. Its producer, Marc Fiore, got in over his head but eventually — after many producers, directors, and writers came and went– Emmett/Furla Films made it. There are currently a record 44 producers listed on the imdb. The screen crawl for all those people could be a DVD extra!
