John Travolta will next star as John J. Gotti, the former boss of the Gambino New York crime family who died in prison in 2002, in Fiore Films’ Gotti: Three Generations, The Hollywood Reporter has announced.

The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes – who starred alongside Travolta in 1997’s Face/Off – will direct from a script by Leo Rossi, who has co-written two previous mobster films, 1992’s We’re Talking Serious Money and 2004’s Mafioso: The Father, the Son.

Travolta, who last appeared on the big screen in From Paris With Love, follows in the footsteps of Tom Sizemore, who portrayed “The Dapper Don” in the 1998 TV film Witness to the Mob – which focused on his relationship with Sammy “The Bull” Gravano – and Armande Assante, who starred in the title role of the earlier 1996 TV film Gotti, which had covered similar material.

Marc Fiore is producing the film and Marty Ingels is executive producing. Gotti’s son, John A. Gotti (known as John Gotti Jnr.), who served in prison himself before escaping further racketeeing convictions,  has given the project his blessing, and will attend a press conference with the producers, director and Travolta at the Sheraton New York Hotel next month.