Pete Davidson transforms into Bonanno family hit man for mob thriller
Published in Entertainment News
NEW YORK — Fans are getting their first peak at Pete Davidson‘s transformation from funnyman to mafia killer for the upcoming mob movie “Tommy Karate.”
The "Saturday Night Live" alum earlier this year revealed he would play the title character, whose real name is Tommy Pitera, in addition to producing the thriller, which is inspired by the true crime book “The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath” by Philip Carlo. It charts the notorious Bonanno family hit man’s efforts to elude law enforcement, and his eventual capture by well-known DEA Agent Jim Hunt, who also helped take down El Chapo.
Paul Walter Hauser will play Hunt in the film, Deadline reported. It is also set to Camilla Mendes and Simon Rex, with Justin Chon directing.
Davidson also helped pen the script alongside Chon and Joseph Gay.
Production is now officially underway in Atlanta, and it has yielded some serious-looking photos of 32-year-old Davidson as Pitera.
Pitera, a mob enforcer suspected of as many as 60 murders, was widely known for his mastery of martial arts, seemingly inspired by his childhood love of the “Green Hornet.” He traveled to Japan to hone his skills and eventually earned the nickname Tommy Karate.
He was ultimately convicted in 1992 for six murders as well as supervising a mass drug-dealing operation in Brooklyn and sentenced to life in prison. He is currently behind bars at USP Big Sandy in Inez, Kentucky.
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