The year is almost over, but there are still a few more movies on the way to fill out 2017’s lineup of theatrical offerings. Up until today, one of those was expected to be Gotti, the John Travolta-led biopic about New York City mobster John Gotti and his son, John Gotti Jr. Lionsgate was originally planning to release this movie on December 15, serving as an alternative to those who don’t wish to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi that weekend. However, with just 10 days until the big day, Lionsgate has not only dropped Gotti from the schedule, but also sold it back to its producers.
No specific reason was provided for why Lionsgate decided it didn’t want to release Gotti anymore, but according to The Tracking Board, the rights to the movie rest back at Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, which made Gotti with Highland Film Group and Fiore Films. The production company will be meeting with new distributors to find Gotti a new home, but there’s no way that the public will be able to see John Travolta’s latest movie before 2017 is over. It’s now expected to be screened sometime in 2018.
This certainly isn’t the first time that a movie has been dropped by a studio late in the game. As a recent example, Paddington 2 (which has already been released in the United Kingdom) was initially supposed to be distributed in the United States by The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films, but after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, Heyday Films and Studio Canal, the sequel adventure starring the lovable bear from across the pond was moved to Warner Bros by mid-November. The difference between Paddington 2 and Gotti, though, is that the former isn’t set to hit the U.S. until January 12, i.e. there were several months to spare, whereas the latter was dropped less than two weeks before release. It’s a surprising move, and hopefully we’ll learn soon just why Lionsgate decided it didn’t want this movie as part of its catalog anymore.
Along with John Travolta as the lead, Gotti‘s main cast includes Kelly Preston, Stacy Keach, Spencer Lofranco, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Leo Rossi, William DeMeo and Victor Gojcaj. Kevin Connolly directed the biopic, with Lem Hobbs and Leo Rossi tackling the script. With Gotti moved off December 15, the only other movies opening that day alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi are Ferdinand and Beyond Skyline, though you’re certainly welcome to check out some of December’s earlier content instead, like I, Tonya or The Disaster Artist.
This article was originally published on Cinemablend