NICHOLAS CELOZZI: Mob-Centric JFK Assassination Film ‘November 1963

Nicholas Celozzi is an award winning Actor/Producer/Director/Writer who has contributed to over 30 studio/independent feature film and television projects. Celozzi is the recipient of the prestigious David Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry, The Southern California Motion Picture Council Award, and the Silver Scroll Award from the Academy of Science Fiction.

Celozzi produced “Kickboxer: Vengeance”, which was released in 2016. Directed by John Stockwell (Blue Crush) and starring Jean-Claude Van Dame and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy).The sequel “Kickboxer: Retribution” opened January 2018 to critical acclaim of which Celozzi served as Executive Producer. “Retribution” starred Jean-Claude Van Dame and Mike Tyson. Celozzi went on to write and produce “Shattered”, based on a true story which starred Emmy winner Ray Wise. “Shattered” was distributed by VMI and is currently streaming on Tubi. It was nominated by the 2018-Youth Entertainer Awards for Best Supporting Young Actor in the Feature Film Category.

In 2022, Celozzi wrote and directed “The Class” starring Anthony Micael Hall, Debbie Gibson, Charlie Gillespie, and Lyric Ross. “The Class” opened theatrically, with a limited run in the fall of 2022 and is streaming on Tubi. Celozzi wrote and produced the award-winning feature length documentary “Momo, The Sam Giancana Story”, released theatrically in 2014 and currently streaming on Tubi. The film won the Grand Jury Award for the Best Documentary at the Bel-Air Film Festival, the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and the Monaco/Monti Carlo Film Festival. His prior  documentaries include: “Champions Forever”, which sold over a million DVD’s (Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, George Foreman) and “Fishing Trawler Craftsman”.

In 2025 Celozzi is all set to film, November 1963 starring, John Travolta, and Mandy Patinkin. The film is based on what really happened during the 48 hours leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — at least according to mob bosses.

The mob’s version of events were passed down to Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana’s nephew, Nicholas Celozzi, by Sam’s brother, the late Joseph “Pepe” Giancana, who drove around with his brother Sam during those two days, directed by Roland Joffe (“The Killing Fields”, “The Mission”). 

The production of “The Legitimate Wise Guy” written by Celozzi is slated for 2026. The film is based on a true story of one of the most notorious mob enforcers that came out of the Chicago Outfit. It centers on the relationship between Spilotoro and a young man he mentored, trying to make it in Hollywood. 

Tell us about your new film November 1963. 

November 1963 starring John Travolta, Mandy Patinkin is a true story about the assassination of President Kennedy. Sam Giancana was my uncle, he had a brother named Joseph “Pepe” my other uncle- who was with him, Sam, for those crucial two days while some of his men, who I knew were down in Dallas.

Pepe was driving Sam around was like a fly on the wall during those few days- so the story I’m telling is Pepe’s story of what he heard and saw during those two days with regard to the assassination and how they pulled it off. What and how it really happened.I was very close with Pepe growing up, and this is the story that he gave to me.

Why is it important for you to tell this story now?

I don’t think there was ever a good or bad time to tell it, but for a sake of answering this question, my cousin Bonnie, sam‘s daughter was not comfortable for a while and did not feel like she wanted to be involved but got tired of watching other narratives play out with regard to the public telling these fake, made up computer generated stories using her name and her father‘s name and she got frustrated with it, and I basically said to her until I lay out the story, they’re gonna keep doing – so here we are

What do you want people to know about your uncle?

I don’t wanna take away from what he did and who he was because that would be disingenuous.

What people don’t know – he was a very generous man. He was very good to his family – very loyal to his family and took care of a lot of people – had a terrific sense of humor and a very good businessman Bonnie and I joke. He could’ve ran a fortune 500 company. He was very smart.

How excited are you about working with Roland Joffe?

I am truly excited about working with Roland Joffe. He is a terrific filmmaker, brilliant vision, very analytical and very smart. Very focused. You can have conversations with Roland about anything. He’s a big history buff.  He loves the characters, with regard to the complexity of these people- and he loves sub-text – as do I- He’s brilliant at telling a story. He also knows how to push you. We have great conversations and knows how to get inside with regard to pulling more information out of you. He asks great questions -really made me think which made the story richer

In those days could the government have existed without organized crime?

The government could not exist without organized crime- organized crime did the dirty work for the government for a long period of time until the government figured out how to do it on their own-  so they work side-by-side and it is that relationship that emboldened organized crime, gave them unyielding power for quite a while. They felt themselves untouchable because they were working with the government. Think about it? The CIA went to Sam Giancana  and Johnny Roselli- the CIA  put a contract together with those 2- to kill Fidel Castro. The government went to organize crime to kill the head of another country.  That’s real life, that’s not a movie.

Is the film true to the core?

Yes, the film. The screenplay is a play-by-play of what Joseph Giancana gave to me of what took place over those 48 hours. These are his words.

Do you have any trepidation about the film? 

I did, but I do not anymore

Tell us about your next film, “Legitimate Wise Guy” which is slated for 2026 and produced with Myriad Films and Kirk D’Amico.

My next film that I’m doing with Kirk D’Amico is the true story of my relationship with Tony Spilotro. That’s the character that Joe Pesci portrayed in the movie “casino.”

It’s about my journey in the Hollywood when I first got out here, trying to be an actor, and Tony mentoring me, but that road to success was paved with a lot of danger -in decision making with regard to what I would do and not do -deeper my relationship became with Tony my obligations to Tony became deeper as well – I didn’t understand what he was looking for me to do / make it in Hollywood or become part of his world. It’s kind of a “Bronx Tale, casino” mix, genre. Coming-of-age story of what not to do. 

This is really the understory of what was going on during Tony’s reign in Las Vegas, which took place at the same time that the whole casino movie era was taking place. I was there – pretty much the entire time I knew most of the people that were involved in all of that, but didn’t really know the depth and the danger of it all until close to the end.