I'm starting to think that the production of Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father is totally and utterly cursed. It began when Nick Cassavetes, who had been hired to direct, decided to bail on the project. Then there was a great deal of drama with Lindsay Lohan, as we all tried to figure out if she was actually in or out of the picture. Then, after Barry Levinson was brought on to replace Cassavetes, Joe Pesci decided to sue the production after he gained 30 pounds for a role, was told he would be switching parts, and had his pay reduced from $3 million to $1 million. But everything outside of that is fine, right? It turns out the answer to that particular question is "no."
Showbiz 411 is reporting that all forward motion on Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father has been brought to a halt. Marc Fiore, who runs Fiore Films - the company behind the movie - has apparently run out of money as he was unable to secure the fundraising he needed to put the project into production. Various unnamed sources have said that the producer was trying to get money from overseas investors, but that hasn't panned out. Production was scheduled to begin in January, but it now looks like they won't be able to make that date.
Considering that the cast includes the likes of Ben Foster, John Travolta, Al Pacino, Chazz Paminteri and Kelly Preston, Gotti had a chance of being successful, but we may never find out. So many things have been going wrong with the movie that this news is hardly unexpected. Then again, who knows: maybe some mysterious billionaire will rise up fully fund the production themselves.
