Ben Foster Cast as John Gotti Jr. Opposite John Travolta and Al Pacino in Gotti Biopic

Big news on the Gotti front of the non-legal variety: Fiore Films has just announced that Ben Foster has signed on to star in Barry Levinson's star-studded crime family biopic, Gotti: In The Shadow Of My Father as John Gotti Jr. opposite John Travolta and Al Pacino. The project will be a reunion for Levinson and Foster, who worked together on the 1999 period drama Liberty Heights.

Foster joins Travolta (playing John Gotti, Sr.), Kelly Preston (playing Victoria Gotti) and Pacino (as Neil Dellacroce​, a Gambino crime family underboss who mentors the senior Gotti) in the film, and seems positively thrilled about the development:

"Barry Levinson was the first director who took a chance on me, and I have a career because of him. [...] This is a film about family, fathers and sons. I am deeply honored for the opportunity to work with Barry and the amazing cast he is assembling to help bring the story of the Gotti family to the screen."

Barry Levinson replaced Nick Cassavetes as director of the film in May and is re-writing the script with his Bugsy co-writer James Toback. Pre-production on the film will start in September before principal photography begins in early January.

· Ben Foster to play John Gotti, Jr. [Variety]