SNL alum Pete Davidson and Paul Walter Hauser ("Black Bird") have joined the cast of the true story crime thriller "Tommy Karate" based on the non-fiction true crime book "The Butcher: Anatomy Of A Mafia Psychopath" by Philip Carlo. The film is directed by Justin Chon ("Pachinco", "Blue Bayou") from a script by Davidson, Chon, and Joseph Gay. Production is due to begin in June.
Davidson will star as notorious mafia killer Tommy Pitera, who was known as Tommy Karate. 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 (Hauser), who also helped take down El Chapo. The cast also includes Camila Mendes ("Masters of the Universe") and Simon Rex ("Red Rocket").
Thomsa Pitera aka Tommy Karate was an American mobster in the Bonanno crime family of New York City. Starting out as a 'soldier', he soon became the 'captain' of his own crew. He was suspected by law enforcement of as many as 60 murders, and for his use of karate and other martial arts when fighting, a skill he learned at a young age and which earned him the nicknames Tommy Karate, and The Karate Guy. Pitera is currently serving a life sentence at USP Big Sandy in Inez, Kentucky.
Davidson had this to say about the project: "Tommy Karate is the greatest mob story never told. 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."
Chon added: "Together with Pete and the team, we’re reimagining the gangster genre through a contemporary lens—driven by character, fresh visuals, and real consequence. This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a reinvention".
Davidson serves as a producer alongside Lucan Toh for Two & Two Pictures, and Ford Corbett and Nathan Klingher for Gramercy Park Media. Executive producers include Mark Fasano and Joshua Harris for Gramercy Park Media, Michael Rothstein, Samuel Hall, and Warren Goz for north.five.six., and Laura Garofalo, Jarod Einsohn, and David Osokow.
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