Pete Davidson turns into cruel mob killer in first look at ‘Tommy Karate’

Pete Davidson is taking on one of the darkest roles of his career as he portrays notorious Bonanno crime family hitman Tommy Pitera in the upcoming crime drama Tommy Karate.

Production on the film is currently underway in Atlanta, with the first official image showing the 32-year-old actor in character. The black-and-white still features Davidson with longer hair and colored contact lenses, offering a dramatic transformation as he steps into the role of the real-life mafia killer.

Based on Philip Carlo’s 2009 book The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath, Tommy Karate chronicles Pitera’s rise within New York City’s Bonanno crime family and the law enforcement effort to bring him to justice.

Pitera, a Brooklyn native nicknamed “Tommy Karate” for his martial arts skills, is suspected of committing as many as 60 murders during the 1970s and 1980s.

According to the film’s synopsis, the story follows the pursuit and eventual capture of one of America’s most ruthless mobsters by DEA agent Jim Hunt. Pitera was arrested in the early 1990s and was convicted in 1992 of six murders and drug trafficking offenses.

Pete Davidson not only stars in the film but also serves as a producer and co-wrote the screenplay alongside director Justin Chon and writer Joseph Gay.

The film marks one of Davidson’s first major dramatic performances after becoming known for his comedic work in films such as The King of Staten Island, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Set It Up and Riff Raff.The cast also includes Simon Rex, Camila Mendes and Paul Walter Hauser.

A release date for Tommy Karate has not yet been announced.