John Travolta spotted in Winnipeg shooting JFK/Mafia movie 'November 1963'
Weekly
A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene.
He is in town shooting November 1963, a look at Mafia involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The film, which also stars Mandy Patinkin and Dermot Mulroney, is due in theatres in 2026.
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / CHRISD.CA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
19-07-2025
- CTV News
‘I had no clue': Winnipeg man serves John Travolta dinner
A Tony Roma's chef with John Travolta (right) in Winnipeg on July 14, 2025. The photographer, Dan Edwards, served Travolta dinner. (Submitted: Dan Edwards) A Winnipeg man said he initially 'had no clue' the customer he was serving was John Travolta—a Hollywood icon who is in the city for a movie. Dan Edwards, a server at Tony Roma's on St. James Street, said at approximately 7 p.m. on July 14, Travolta and his personal assistant entered the restaurant and were seated at a corner booth. 'He sat down, and his assistant asked for an Arnold Palmer, the classic drink, and (Travolta) asked for an unsweetened iced tea,' said Edwards. 'I said, 'Come on, you Yank. We're in Canada, now we don't serve unsweetened iced tea in Canada.' Though Edwards said he still did not know he was serving Travolta at that point, who had his head shaved, he recognized the customer was from the U.S. by the drink order. 'It's an American thing that's sort of unseen … but he went on to order a pot of Red Rose tea instead with a glass of ice to pour it on top. So essentially, that's what unsweetened iced tea is.' Edwards said he had no idea who he was serving for the first 30 minutes, until a co-worker told him, but he never asked Travolta directly. 'And I said, 'Come on man, you got to be kidding me.' Edwards, a self-described 'sports guy,' said he is not a movie buff but was familiar with the 1978 movie 'Grease' starring Travolta. He later served Travolta medallions and a lobster combo, per his order, along with a brownie with no ice cream and extra whipping cream. Edwards, who was born and raised in Canada, said Travolta asked him if he was from Ukraine, prompting him to ask Travolta where he was from. 'And he responded, 'I'm from Jersey, but I live in Florida now.' Travolta's assistant said he was also from New Jersey, adding that they were in Winnipeg to make a movie. 'That's when I knew,' said Edwards. Nearly two and a half hours later, Edwards said Travolta left but agreed to take a photo with a chef who was a fan. Edwards said the personal assistant paid the bill in cash—adding a $150 tip and extra cash with a directive to take the chefs out for beers. 'I said, 'Absolutely, I'll make sure of that. And we did.'
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
John Travolta spotted in Winnipeg shooting JFK/Mafia movie 'November 1963'
Actor John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Grease, Saturday Night Fever) was spotted Wednesday on set in the parking lot of the Red Top Restaurant on St. Mary's Road. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. He is in town shooting November 1963, a look at Mafia involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The film, which also stars Mandy Patinkin and Dermot Mulroney, is due in theatres in 2026. DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI / DAVID LIPNOWSKI /
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
‘This is really the untold true story': A behind the scenes look on the set of November 1963
Cast and crew prepare to film another take in front of their Texas School Book Depository set for production of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) On the set of November 1963, screenwriter and producer Nicholas Celozzi watches another film take unfold. 'What we're doing here today is this is right after the assassination of John F. Kennedy,' Celozzi said. '(Lee Harvey) Oswald, I don't want to give too much away, but I think he knows at this point he's being set up.' It's all business on the set of a crime thriller that has chosen Winnipeg as its primary filming location. Behind the scenes shot of November 1963 A behind the scenes look before another take is recorded on the set of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Celozzi's production is a retelling of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the eyes of brothers Joseph 'Pepe' Giancana and his brother Sam Giancana. They ran the Chicago Outfit at the time, and Sam Giancana was a notorious mob boss. For Celozzi, it's as much a family story as a historical account. 'They were my uncles, and Pepe had given me this story,' he said. 'This was really the introspective point of view of what went on, the underbelly that pulled this off.' John Travolta November 1963 stars John Travolta and Mandy Patinkin among others. Here is Travolta in a photo from 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) The movie stars John Travolta and Mandy Patinkin, among others. Celozzi said the film is inspired by conversations he had with his uncle 'Pepe' in the '90s. 'I just became very close to Pepe all my life. I guess I can say it as a young kid, you know, he was in control of doing all the bookmaking on the West Side of Chicago,' he said. 'He used to hang out at my dad's dealership and just think, that's all day long. As I got involved in the film business, he felt very comfortable. One day he actually said to me, he goes, 'Look, not right now, but later on I'm going to tell you what actually took place.'' Nicholas Celozzi on set of November 1963 Nicholas Celozzi (left) takes time to talk to members on the set of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Celozzi said one person was tasked with driving Sam Giancana while conducting business in Dallas. 'Sam asked Pepe, 'Would you do me a favour and drive me around for a couple of days?'' he said. 'Pepe actually is with Sam during those days. He was a fly on the wall. This basically is his perspective of what he saw and heard.' Initially Celozzi wanted to shoot the movie in the Chicago suburbs. A conversation with his producing partner Kevin DeWalt brought him to Winnipeg for the first time. He was soon convinced the city would be a great fit to film. 'He said to me, 'You have to come up here, there's a city here, Winnipeg,'' Celozzi said. 'It doubles for Chicago sometimes, and I think there's some wonderful locations that we can shoot (as) Dallas. The hospitality Winnipeg has shown us has been really second to none.' Monitors on set of November 1963 A behind the scenes look at the monitors used for the production of November 1963 on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Adam Smoluk, executive director of Film Training Manitoba, said it's wonderful to see film productions taking place all over the province this summer. 'We're very fortunate at Film Training Manitoba, because we provide training for a lot of the professionals that work within the film and television industry,' Smoluk said. 'When there are productions going on, that means there's that much more training that's needed. We see so much growth within our industry when these types of productions are happening.' Extras on set of November 1963 Dozens of people served as extras on the set wearing period attire from the 1960s on Friday July 11, 2025. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg) Based on the time period it's set in, Celozzi said the film will have the tone and style of The Godfather and he has enjoyed working with the Academy Award-nominated director Roland Joffe as Joffe directs the production. Working with Travolta and the rest of the cast has also been a pleasure based on the cast's appreciation of the story at hand. 'What they've all said to me is they've really appreciated the time I've taken with the subtext of the characters,' Celozzi said. This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file) This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file) Kennedy was killed 62 years ago, but Celozzi said the history is still top of mind. He said the recently released CIA documents will spark interest in his film. 'People are still fascinated because they know something doesn't seem right,' Celozzi said. 'Right now it's very topical because the people that I wrote about are now appearing in all of it.' Celozzi said they are hopeful to have the film released in 2026.
