NEED TO KNOW
Pete Davidson stars as real-life mafia killer Tommy Pitera in the upcoming film Tommy Karate
The film is based on Philip Carlo’s book about Pitera’s crimes and his capture by DEA Agent Jim Hunt
Davidson co-wrote the screenplay and calls the project a dream job he’s worked on for over three years
Pete Davidson is stepping into the role of real-life mafia killer Tommy Pitera.
Production is underway in Atlanta for Tommy Karate, in which Davidson, 32, stars as “notorious Bonanno crime family killer Tommy Pitera,” according to a press release. A first-look black-and-white image of the Saturday Night Live alum in character sees him pensively looking ahead while sporting noticeably longer hair and colored contacts.
Tommy Karate is based on Philip Carlo’s 2009 book The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath, which chronicles Pitera’s early life and entrance into the Italian Mafia crime family in New York City. Pitera, who hails from Gravesend, Brooklyn, is suspected of as many as 60 murders, and earned his nickname for his martial arts skills.
The film will “chart the pursuit and capture of one of America’s most ruthless mobsters and serial killers by notorious DEA Agent Jim Hunt,” according to a press release. Pitera was actively committing the string of murders across several Brooklyn neighborhoods (notably, Sheepshead Bay) throughout the 1970s, and until his arrest and trial in the early 1990s.
Pete Davidson
Credit: Phil Sakanashi
Davidson, who also serves as a producer on the film, co-wrote the screenplay alongside director Justin Chon and Joseph Gay.
A source close to Davidson tells PEOPLE, “Pete’s been working on this film with Justin [the director] for years. He’s excited to be bringing it to life.”
Davidson previously spoke on the pride he has for the storytelling at the heart of the film.
“Tommy Karate is the greatest mob story never told,” Davidson said in a statement to Deadline in March. “I’ve been working on this for over three years, and I’m beyond thrilled that it’s finally in motion. Playing a role like this is a dream job. We have a great team behind this one, and I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve come up with.”
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Pitera, 71, is currently serving a life sentence in prison at USP Big Sandy in Inez, Ky., following his 1992 conviction for six murders and his role in a drug-dealing operation in Brooklyn, according to New York Daily News.
The film will notably mark one of the comedian’s first dramatic film roles after previously stepping into comedic parts for numerous films, including Set It Up, Bodies Bodies Bodies, the semi-autobiographical The King of Staten Island, Riff Raff, and more.
Simon Rex, Camila Mendes, and Paul Walter Hauser also appear in the film.
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