Hollywood's version of the Junior Gotti family story is being bankrolled by Irish construction magnate Fay Devlin, a Tyrone native based in New York. There are reports that he has invested $10 million.
Devlin was approached by Marc Fiore, a movie producer from the Jersey Shore, enlisted and entrusted by John Gotti Jr to tell his story. New York Magazine reports that Fiore approached Devlin at a Yankees game and pitched a joint partnership, to become a 50-50 partner in Fiore Films.
Fiore already had the right to tell the “factual” story of John Gotti Jr’s life, how his father’s career as the head of the legendary Gambino crime family affected the family and how Gotti Jr eventually made the decision to leave Mafia life.
John Gotti Jr copped a plea, chose his own sons over his father and did seven years in prison. Now he’s looking to tell his story in Hollywood.
At the age of 24 Devlin, an Irish immigrant from County Tyrone, established Eurotech, a Manhattan-based construction company now with more than $80 million in annual sales.
Although Fiore and Devlin had no Hollywood experience they were unapologetic in being passionate about getting this movie made.
Devlin told New York Magazine “Of course we are outsiders; so is everybody at some stage.
“You have to listen to your gut…This is a no-brainer.”
John Gotti Jr, now 48, and a resident in Long Island, realized after he was released from prison that he no longer had his father’s Mafia empire to fall back on. What he did have was a story.
After putting feelers out in Los Angeles they realized producers and stars were interested. Sylvester Stallone, of “Rocky” and “Saturday Night Fever” fame, showed interest but wanted near-total control and wasn’t offering enough money.
John Travolta read for the John Gotti senior part and agreed to do it for $10 million. The two men, Gotti junior and Travotla bonded over the death of their two sons.
Devlin was active in the Irish peace process and is a major supporter of Sinn Fein and Gerry Adams
When the movie ht a rough patch a Deadline New York columnist wrote “I’m told that Fiore’s major backer, a New York-based construction mogul named Fay Devlin, recently began questioning what he had gotten himself into after Fiore paid high prices to sign talent to pay-or-play deals.”
Now the movie named “Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father” on IMDB is in “pre-production” and is tentatively set for release in 2013.
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