Pete Davidson unrecognizable in Tommy Karate film cast photo
Pete Davidson has shared the first look at his transformation for Tommy Karate, appearing nearly unrecognizable as real-life Bonanno crime family hitman Thomas “Tommy Karate” Pitera. The Tommy Karate film cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser, Camila Mendes and Simon Rex, with Justin Chon directing the Atlanta-shot crime thriller.
Key Takeaways
- Davidson debuted a black-and-white first-look image on July 23 as mobster Thomas “Tommy Karate” Pitera.
- Director Justin Chon posted the photo, praising Davidson’s dramatic turn after a long journey to the role.
- The Tommy Karate film cast features Paul Walter Hauser as DEA agent Jim Hunt, plus Camila Mendes and Simon Rex.
- The film adapts Philip Carlo’s book The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath and is filming in Atlanta.
- Pitera was convicted of six murders and a drug operation and is serving a life sentence.
What does Pete Davidson look like in the first Tommy Karate image?
In a picture released July 23, the former Saturday Night Live star traded his usual comic energy for a dark, serious profile. He appears in a dark suit with brushed-back hair that looks like a wig, captured in black and white.
Chon shared the shot on Instagram with a light jab at Davidson’s past: “Petey’z all growns up now,” adding that he was excited for audiences to see how talented Davidson is as “mobster Tommy Karate.”
Who is in the Tommy Karate film cast?
Beyond Davidson’s lead turn as Pitera, Paul Walter Hauser plays DEA agent Jim Hunt, the investigator working to bring the hitman to justice. Camila Mendes and Simon Rex are also in the cast.
Chon (Blue Bayou, Pachinko) directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Davidson and Joseph Gay. Davidson also produces alongside Lucan Toh, Ford Corbett and Nathan Klingher. For more case-driven coverage, see BlasterPost’s True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries hub.
Why does the real Tommy Karate story still matter?
Pitera, a Bonanno crime family member, earned his nickname from martial arts used in fights. New York prosecutors called him a “ruthless killer,” alleging he dismembered bodies and buried them on Staten Island, E! News notes, citing The New York Times reporting from his 1992 trial.
Now 71, Pitera denied the crimes but was convicted of murdering six people and supervising a drug operation, then sentenced to life. Yahoo Entertainment reports the thriller follows the probe that led to his arrest and that he was suspected of as many as 60 murders, adapted from Carlo’s nonfiction book.
Earlier this year, Davidson told Deadline the project was “the greatest mob story never told,” calling the part a “dream job” after more than three years of work. Production continues in Atlanta with no release date yet announced.