Joey Merlino wants to shoot biopic on his life

NOT TO BE outdone by former mob boss Ralph Natale, who is working on a memoir, it turns out that Joey Merlino, who was just released from a Florida halfway house and whom Natale testified against, has been talking to veteran actor and screenwriter Leo Rossi about writing a movie about his life.
On Friday, Northeast native Rossi confirmed that he has had six phone conversations with Merlino, who he says "has got a great sense of humor." Rossi says that he and Merlino are both trying to line up financing for a possible biopic about the jailed mob boss. Rossi, who recently scripted "Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father," on which he collaborated with gangster John Gotti Jr. about his late father, says he knows that he'll be asked whether he thinks that Merlino is "out of the life." He doesn't care.
"It's not for me to figure out," said Rossi, who writes a column for Philadelphia Row Home magazine. "My job is to make a kick-ass picture."
The Gotti film, starring John Travolta as John Gotti and Ben Foster as John Gotti Jr., and also featuring Al Pacino and Chazz Palminteri, will be directed by Barry Levinson and starts shooting in January in New York. Rossi, a Villanova grad, has been seen in films such as "Analyze This," "Relentless" and "The Accused."

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http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20110912_Dan_Gross_.html#ixzz1XlbZbXkk

seriously did this guy become gangster just to make the best mob movie ever.

He would do great playing himself i am looking forward to it, so this means he is out of the "life"?

Smart move, make kick ass movie, make alot of cash and walk away for good.

wont this get him killed by the philly mob

No the last thing those guys need is the feds all over a murder. There probably a bit of a rabble atm with all the indictments.

It amazes me that hollywood never jumped on The Philly mob for a movie. Nicky Scarfo would be the best story of them all especially with all the violence and plots during his reign as boss. I dont know how much Merlino can really write considering his whole crew is out on the street or will be out soon. Also, I dont think his father who is a stand up guy doing 20+ years would be happy about this sort of thing.

hes going to pull a Gotti Jr move and make a movie/go legit

smart move in my opinion, but he needs to be careful cause regardless ti think the govt will wait till he slips up for anything to nail him again, hes the philly version of gotti jr

the feds will keep going after him no matter what he does

If you think about it, he could kinda get away with it too. I mean, by this point, between Tommy Del, Nicky Crow, Phil Leonetti, John Veasey, Ron Previte and Ralph Natale, the entire history of the Scarfo, Stanfa and Natale era's are public record. He would not be revealing anthing that could hurt anyone as long as he sticks to that.

Really, I mean he could basically re-write the history and portray himself as a poor young kid from Philly just targeted unfairly and completely omit his own role. Imagine, the attempted hit on him that killed Mike Ciangalini. "Why me?" y'know? All he has to do is make out like he was just a knockaround guy ultimately set up, who did his time none the less. Oh, and also like he had nothing to do with the shooting of Nicky Scarfo Junior. Or the Joey Chang hit. Or the Schuykill Expressway shooting attack on Stanfa.

To mob watchers, natives of SouthPhila/Jersey I'm sure they wouldn't even care if he brought a movie out, especially with his younger crew on the street rumored to have taken control of the rackets.

But then again when Joey was in Prison and they brought out 10th and Wold which depicted him was a horrible movie, and plus I know for a FACT, he didn't receive a dime of the money from that low budget movie.

I agree. I always thought they could of made a movie based on Blood and honour.

And I agree with the guy who said 10th & Wolf was horrible.

10th and wolf = worst mob movie EVER made. And they shot it in Pittsburgh! I couldn't get over how bad every aspect of that movie was.I guess Joey is trying to make up for it. Lol. He really does wanna be like John Gotti. At least Gotti would have never did anything like this while alive. Just his blook sucking kids.

One thing is for sure, after all those years his ego is pretty much kept intact.

guess he chose the life after seeing godfather and scarface.

He should try and get the movie into production soon, unlike gotti jr and all his stupid media buzz bolshit,

Your right Joey is so dumb and ignorant he might give them to much and they may put some pieces of the puzzle together no?

Wonder how much a crew would put up for that goon, they could have a reaccuring theme of him not paying any of his gambling loses and burning bookies like a Dicknose would do

quote=NickyScarfo]No the last thing those guys need is the feds all over a murder. There probably a bit of a rabble atm with all the indictments. [/quote]

@ Dapper Don...The movie business is rough right now, I don't see gotti making a big come up on the movie, how long will that chunk of "legitimate" change last?

I had they recast Joe Pesci..has a fat old mummy or theres talks hes gona be a scarecrow

Who knows, if they maybe makes a few million in profit (they reportedly got like a $10M+ budget) im sure it will be helpful to gotti jr plus he has some commercial real estate, etc which was the only way recently he was earning

Well, movies are a great way to lounder money too.
Have you see the head of Fiore Films? Marc Fiore?

And the movie business is rough with those flicks that stink.
A mob movie about Brainless Sr. and Brainless Jr.? Even if only mobbed-up family associates go see it they'll make a profit.
Plus Nick Cassavetes is directing (Alpha Dog), John Travolta + Al Pacino.

They are a good way to lauder money I think Uncle Joes Kid used alot of his money to produce low budget films...

[quote=DickNose_Moltasanti]
They are a good way to lauder money I think Uncle Joes Kid used alot of his money to produce low budget films...

Anthony Borgesi was involved in producing low budget movies also.

who cares about this clown ?? lol