Chaz Palminteri, star of such 90s classics as The Usual Suspects and Bullets Over Broadway, has signed up to join Barry Levinson‘s gangster film Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father, marking his return to the genre he is most famous for. Palminteri shall play Mafia boss Paul Castellano and is joining a stellar cast which already includes Al Pacino, John Travolta, Ben Foster and Kelly Preston. [Variety]
He had this to say on the subject:
“I have seen this film come together from the very start, and am pleased to be able to work alongside such great talent to bring this story to the big screen. I have been a longtime admirer of Barry Levinson and am looking forward to working with him.”
Although being very prominent in the 1990s, Palminteri has been starring in particurlarly mediocre films as of late which is a shame due to his considerable talent. If you ask me, the last film of note he acted in was Analyze This and that was 12 years ago now so it’s good to see him landing a major role like this now.
Synopsis:
“The film will reveal the relationship of a father who lived and died by the mob code and a son who, while brought up to lead a life of crime, chose to leave that world behind and redeem himself and the Gotti name. Never before has there been such an inside look at the Gotti family and their world of danger, betrayal and redemption. John Gotti was head of the Gambino crime family, which in its time was the largest and most powerful crime organization in the country. Known as the “Dapper Don,” John Gotti’s flamboyant style and outspoken personality made him one of the most famous mobsters of the 20th century and he ruled the underworld until he died from cancer in 2002 while serving a life sentence. In 1988, at the age of 24, Gotti Jr. became a “made man,” and was officially inducted into the Mafia, making him the heir-apparent to head the Gambino crime family and follow in his father’s footsteps.”
Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father starts shooting on location in New York in January with a prospective release date of late 2012. The script is being co-written by James Toback and Barry Levinson.
Are you a fan of Chaz Palminteri? Do you think he will make a worthy addition to the film?