John Travolta Directs Movie Based on Book Written for Late Son

Surprise! John Travolta is set to make his directorial debut next month with a whimsical movie based on a children’s book he wrote in 1997. (Did you know Travolta wrote a kids’ book in the ‘90s? Me neither. We’re learning things together today.)

The 72-year-old Grease star has directed a film called Propeller One-Way Night Coach, based on the book of the same name that he wrote and eventually published for his late son, Jett, who died from a seizure at the age of 16 in 2009.

The film, which tells the story of a young boy’s first flight, also stars Travolta’s daughter Ella Bleu, 26, who plays a flight attendant. Ella Bleu made her acting debut at the age of 9 alongside her dad and the late Robin Williams in the 2009 Disney comedy film Old Dogs.

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According to an official synopsis for Propeller One-Way Night Coach shared by Deadline:

Young airplane enthusiast Jeff (played by newcomer Clark Shotwell) and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) set off on a one-way cross country odyssey to Hollywood, which transforms a simple flight into the trip of a lifetime. Between airline meals, charming flight attendants (played by Ella Bleu Travolta and Olga Hoffmann), unexpected stopovers, larger-than-life passengers, and a thrilling glimpse at first class, the journey unfolds in moments both magical and unexpected, charting the course for the boy’s future.

The Apple Original Films movie, which is not a feature film but rather “mid-length,” according to Deadline, will make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-to-late May before becoming available to watch at home via Apple TV on May 29.

John Travolta’s Passion for Aviation

It makes sense Travolta’s first time directing is for a film centered on aviation. It’s something the actor, who started flying planes at the age of 15, has long been passionate about. He even owns a number of private aircraft today.

The actor’s sprawling $10 million, 20-acre estate in Florida, situated at the exclusive Jumbolair Airport, has its own runway as well as a taxiway that leads right to the house, allowing the actor to park his fleet of private planes right at his front door.

Travolta, who was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007 and is certified to fly a diverse array of large aircraft types, famously flew planes on-screen in two of his films: 1989’s Look Who’s Talking and 1996’s Broken Arrow.

In February 2026, in celebration of his 72nd birthday, Travolta obtained his latest pilot’s license for the Bombardier Global Express.