It’s been months since we last heard John Travolta was offered the role of mobster John Gotti, but until today, the project seemed to have stalled. And why shouldn’t it have after producer Mark Fiore made some wild comments about it shaping up to be the next Godfather? You can’t just say shit like that. Even if you think it, tell people you’re optimistic or that you have hopes it could go down as a mafia classic. It’s like a baseball player telling the media he’s the next Babe Ruth.

Hyperbole aside, this Gotti biopic is moving forward, and today it took one more step toward relevancy. According to Variety, Travolta has officially accepted the lead role of the so-called Teflon Don. For years, Gotti sauntered through the streets of New York, openly welcoming publicity and ruling the city’s underworld with an iron fist. By the time his lead hitman Sammy The Bull turned on him in 1991, he was perhaps the most famous mob figure since Lucky Luciano, Al Capone or Meyer Lansky.

The film, entitled Gotti: Three Generations, will be helmed by Nick Cassavetes and should begin shooting shortly in New York City. It loosely intertwines the Gotti family lineage, focusing not only on Gotti’s career trajectory but also his relationship with his son who eventually turned his back on a life of crime.

In reality, there is enough of a story here to be the next Godfather, but I’ll reserve such praise until I actually see it.

Editor's Note: There seems to be a ton of confusion on the internet as to who exactly John Travolta will be playing. The famous John Gotti is technically John Gotti Jr.; however, he's frequently called John Gotti Sr. and his son, a producer on the film, goes by John Gotti Jr. As there were initial rumors that James Franco was in talks for the younger Gotti, I'm assuming Travolta is in play for the older, more famous Gotti. Many outlets have run pictures of Travolta next to the older Gotti, all while saying he'll play John Gotti Jr. Who exactly that refers to is anyone's guess.