Toback Reteams With Levinson on 'Gotti' Rewrite

James Toback, who worked with "Gotti: Three Generations" director Barry Levinson on the Oscar-nominated "Bugsy," starring Warren Beatty and Annette Benning, is retooling the screenplay, reports The Wrap's Deal Central.

Levinson replaced director Nick Cassavetes, who left the project because of scheduling conflicts, earlier this month.

Variety has confirmed that Barry Levinson will climb into the director’s chair.

The movie will center on the relationship between John Gotti Sr. (John Travolta) and his son, John Gotti Jr., who turned his back on mob life. Joe Pesci supposedly will play Gotti’s deputy Angelo Ruggiero, while Lindsay Lohan will play John Gotti Jr.’s wife, Kim Gotti. And in a nice little bit of nepotism, Travolta’s 11-year-old daughter Ella Bleu also has a role in the film.

"This film will mark a return to the gangster genre for Levinson," reported Collider.com. "He previously helmed 1991’s biopic 'Bugsy.'  Hopefully 'Gotti' will also mark a return to Levinson making good movies, which he hasn’t done since 1999’s 'Liberty Heights.' His latest film, 'The Bay,' will be released by Lionsgate, and Levinson is also attached to direct 'O.K.C.,' which is about the trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

"Filming on 'Gotti' is expected to begin this fall for a late 2012 release date."

Actor-writer Leo Rossi wrote the original script. Rossi, who starred in "Analyze This," previously wrote and starred in the forgotten Mafioso: The Father, the Son in 2004, according to the IMDB.com.

IMDB.com also reports Pesci is only "rumored" to be playing now-deceased one-time Gotti buddy Angelo "Quack Quack" Ruggiero.